Pakistan opposition ends parliament sit-in over ex-PM Khan’s health

Pakistan’s opposition alliance, the Tehreek‑i‑Tahafuz‑i‑Ayin‑i‑Pakistan (TTAP), announced on Wednesday the end of its days-long sit-in outside Parliament House, which had been staged to press for better medical access for former prime minister Imran Khan.

The alliance - also known as the Movement for the Protection of Pakistan’s Constitution - brings together several opposition parties coordinating protests against the ruling coalition.

It is led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, head of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party. While ending the protest, TTAP reiterated demands raised by Khan’s family, including permission for his personal physicians to examine him and for his relatives to be allowed jail visits.

The announcement came after a Supreme Court hearing related to Khan’s cases. Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas addressed reporters in Islamabad alongside Achakzai, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.

“There has been a slight improvement compared with the earlier situation, when his eyesight had almost entirely deteriorated,” Abbas told journalists.

However, he criticized the government for failing to consult Khan’s family or his longtime doctors, insisting that personal physicians Dr Aasim Yusuf and Dr Faisal Sultan be granted access. “Even the smallest sign of recovery matters to us,” Abbas said, adding that with the holy month of Ramazan approaching, the opposition had decided to conclude its sit-in at parliament.

“At the next stage, TTAP will consider other options and act accordingly, as we have time to do so,” he said. Abbas argued that if authorities genuinely wished to resolve the matter - one that had drawn international concern - independent medical assessments were essential.

“When Imran Khan himself says he has health concerns, that in itself signals a serious issue,” Abbas said, again urging that meetings with Khan’s sisters be allowed. He called on authorities to meet the family’s demands and appealed to the public to pray for Khan’s swift recovery.

Abbas also described the family’s request for treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital as “reasonable,” noting that the facility had qualified, independent doctors who were not under government control.

Referring to earlier reports describing the loss of vision in Khan’s right eye as “deeply alarming,” Abbas alleged that prison authorities at Adiala Jail had failed to respond in time. “This amounted to negligence, and we intend to raise the matter before the courts,” he said.

The opposition leader said the sit-in had been aimed at ensuring that “no further errors are made by the government,” adding that concern over Khan’s condition had extended well beyond political divides. He also accused authorities of sealing Parliament House during the protest.

“The parliament was turned into a detention center,” Abbas alleged. “Our lawmakers were confined to the lodges, while colleagues from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were restricted to KP House,” he said, adding that terrorism-related cases had been registered against TTAP members.

Abbas said Achakzai had even considered launching a hunger strike if reports of Khan’s complete loss of eyesight been confirmed.

Khan, a former international cricket star turned politician, served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until he was removed through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022. He has been held at Adiala Jail since August 2023 in connection with multiple criminal cases, which he and his party say are politically motivated.