ISLMABAD, FEB 18 /DNA/: The sit-in staged by lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aiyeen Pakistan (TTAP) over party chairman Imran Khan’s health entered its sixth consecutive day on Wednesday, as tensions between the PTI and the government deepened amid a war of words.
The multi-party opposition alliance, a day earlier, decided to continue its protest at Parliament House after the jailed former prime minister renewed his demand for access to his personal physician.
The development emerged during a TTAP meeting at Parliament House, led by National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, where participants reportedly resolved to continue the sit-in until the former premier’s personal doctors and family are granted access to him at Adiala jail.
Sources said that some PTI members suggested ending the sit-in based on the medical report, while a few PTI members agreed with the ongoing protest strategy. A follow-up meeting of the alliance is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).
Lawmakers from the PTI and TTAP launched a multi-day sit-in at Parliament House and KP House in Islamabad on February 13, demanding that the PTI founder be shifted to a hospital for treatment of his eye condition.
The protest followed claims by the former prime minister that he has lost 85% of vision in his right eye.
In response, the government formed a medical board to examine and treat him in prison. However, Imran’s family and his party rejected the board’s report, insisting that his personal physicians and family be present during any treatment.
PTI rejects Naqvi’s claims
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s claim of party politicising the health of former prime minister.
“The PTI is not politicising the health of Imran Khan and our only demand is to allow access to family members or his personal physician and to shift him to a hospital for a thorough medical examination,” Barrister Gohar said in a response to Naqvi, who accused Aleema Khan, the PTI founder’s sister, of playing ‘political tactics’ on the matter.
Barrister Gohar said that the party representatives did not participate in the recent medical review as they wanted Imran to be transferred to a hospital instead. He added that restrictions on meetings had made the situation more complicated.
Naqvi, during a press conference on Tuesday, detailed the meeting between doctors who examined the PTI founder in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, and Imran’s medical team, as well as PTI leaders, following which the latter “expressed” satisfaction with the medical progress.
“But all I can tell you is that Aleema Khan sahiba told her party that if we accept this, the issue will die down. Due to her, the medical check-up could not be conducted for three days,” he said.
Barrister Salman Akram Raja said that according to a report submitted by Barrister Salman Safdar, there is an issue with Imran’s right eye, whereas the official medical report claimed that his condition has improved.
He questioned why Dr Asim Yousaf, the PTI founder’s personal physician, was not being allowed access. Raja said that once the personal doctor is permitted to examine him, the true condition will become clear.
Govt-PTI tension amid Imran’s health condition
The recent tensions between the government and PTI came after last month’s confirmation that Imran underwent a medical procedure for his eye at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
The former prime minister was diagnosed with a serious eye disorder called central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a condition that primarily affects older adults and is associated with underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.
Pims Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar later confirmed that a team of senior doctors evaluated Imran’s condition before discharging him.
Providing details of the treatment, Dr Sikandar stated that Imran underwent a specialised medical procedure after doctors identified a vision-related condition in his right eye.
He explained that the procedure was carried out in a sterile operating theatre under close supervision and was successfully completed in approximately 20 minutes.
According to a report submitted to the Supreme Court, the PTI founder indicated that his right eye now retains only 15% vision.
“According to the petitioner [Imran], he was diagnosed with a blood clot that caused significant damage, and despite the treatment provided — including an injection — he has been left with only 15% vision in his right eye,” noted a seven-page report submitted by PTI counsel Salman Safdar, who was appointed as “friend of the court” following his visit to Adiala Jail.
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