ISLAMABAD: The sit-in by the main opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) at Parliament House over concerns regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s health entered its third day on Sunday.
After the Supreme Court (SC) was informed on February 12 that Imran’s right eye had only 15 per cent vision remaining, the TTAP announced it would stage a sit-in until the ex-premier was shifted to a hospital of his personal doctors’ choice.
Although government figures on Saturday had hinted that Imran — currently incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail — will soon be shifted to a hospital, no such development had occurred till Sunday morning.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan shared visuals of him, TTAP Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, MNA Asad Qaiser and Senator Faisal Javed, among others, sitting at Parliament House.
A TTAP leader, wishing not to be named, told Dawn that things have become more confusing rather than being streamlined.
“Last night we were informed that Imran Khan will be shifted to Shifa International Hospital [in Islamabad], but a demand was made that doctors in the medical board be changed as including doctors of our choice will give a message that the government has gone on the back foot.
“[Therefore,] we decided to show flexibility and gave names of a few more doctors, and there was an understanding that we will not reveal their names in the media,” the TTAP leader said.
He added: “However, today we have been getting messages that first we should call off the sit-in and then Imran Khan will be shifted to the hospital and a medical board will be announced. How can we call off the sit-in without implementation of our demands?” he asked.
Replying to a question, the leader said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi — who is staging a sit-in at KP House in the capital — also contacted government representatives to make it clear that the situation could go out of his control if the issue was not resolved soon.
He added that the government representatives told them that the interior minister was in Sri Lanka, while the National Assembly and Senate chairs were also abroad, making it “difficult to decide” for the authorities.
TTAP Spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai told Dawn that it has been decided to continue the sit-in till the fulfilment of the demands.
He termed it unfortunate that the police were allegedly not allowing breakfast to be delivered inside Parliament House for the opposition leaders.
“There are a number of leaders who have diabetes, and it becomes difficult for them to maintain their sugar levels. I fear that some may faint,” he said.
He wondered why the government was not showing flexibility and taking confidence-building measures if it was serious.
HRCP calls for ‘uninterrupted access’ to treatment
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed “grave concern over reports regarding the deteriorating health of prisoners affiliated with the PTI, particularly” Imran and former Punjab health minister Yasmin Rashid.
In a statement, the HRCP urged the interior ministry, the Punjab Home Department and the relevant prison authorities to ensure that “all such inmates are allowed immediate, independent medical examinations and uninterrupted access to prescribed treatment”.
“Their condition must be verified with transparency,” the rights body stressed.
It pointed out: “Denial or delay of adequate healthcare to any detainee violates legal and constitutional guarantees, including under the Prison Rules, as well as Pakistan’s human rights obligations.”
Earlier on Sunday, Imran’s longtime personal physicians Dr Aasim Yusuf and Dr Faisal Sultan issued a joint video statement, reiterating that the ex-premier needed a comprehensive medical check-up that could be provided at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.
“In addition to urgent retina specialist care for his central retinal vein occlusion and severe vision loss, Imran Khan needs a full multidisciplinary evaluation of his underlying conditions at a tertiary hospital like Shifa International Islamabad,” read the post accompanying their statement.
More to follow
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