Opposition sit-in enters fifth day as PTI demands Imran Khan’s hospital transfer

ISLAMABAD: The sit-in by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) entered its fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, with protests continuing at two key locations inside the Red Zone amid heightened security and mounting political tensions.

The primary demonstration is being staged within Parliament premises under the leadership of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, alongside Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, senior leader Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja and several lawmakers are also participating.

A parallel sit-in remains underway outside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, where K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is present. Additional prison vans have been stationed outside the premises, signalling authorities’ preparedness for possible detentions.

Strategy Meeting Underway

A high-level consultative meeting chaired by Achakzai is ongoing in the Opposition Chamber to determine the next phase of the protest. Sources said the opposition is weighing options ranging from expanding parliamentary agitation to intensifying legal recourse.

Lawmakers have reiterated that the sit-in will not end until former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan is shifted to a specialised medical facility and granted access to his family and personal physicians.

Medical Board Report and PTI’s Rejection

A federal medical board comprising senior ophthalmologists Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif examined Imran at Adiala Jail on Sunday. According to the report, his unaided vision in the right eye was 6/24 (partial), improving to 6/9 (partial) with corrective lenses, while the left eye measured 6/6 with correction.

The report noted mild vitreous haemorrhage and moderate retinal haemorrhage in all four quadrants of the right eye. It added that swelling in the macula had reduced significantly — from 550 to 350 microns — and outlined ongoing medication, recommending OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completion of anti-VEGF therapy. However, it did not advise hospital transfer.

PTI leaders, however, questioned the transparency of the medical evaluation. Latif Khosa wrote to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi expressing concern over what he described as secrecy surrounding the examination.

Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, categorically rejected medical reports circulating in the media and demanded his immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital under the supervision of Dr Asim Yousuf, in the presence of family members.

Security Lockdown Around Adiala Jail

Rawalpindi authorities placed the area surrounding Adiala Jail on high alert. Multiple checkpoints were established along Adiala Road, including at Chakri Interchange, Gorakh Pur, Factory Naka, Dahgal and near the jail entrance. Heavy police contingents and prisoner vans were deployed at each point.

Section 144 remains in force across Rawalpindi, banning public gatherings. Authorities confirmed that five individuals had already been taken into custody for violations.

Aleema Khan and her sisters were stopped at Chakri Naka while attempting to reach the jail. Police executed arrest warrants against Aleema at the site, which she accepted. Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja were also denied access at Marble Factory Naka.

PTI Demands Visitation Rights

Speaking to media outside the jail, Barrister Gohar said the controversy over Imran’s health stemmed from denial of visitation rights.

“Our last meeting with the founder was on October 16. Since then, no meeting has been allowed,” he said, adding that PTI had neither termed the medical report fake nor unsatisfactory but required direct access for verification.

He confirmed that opposition representatives had met the examining doctors, who briefed them that one eye measured 6/6 and the other 6/9 with correction. However, he stressed that transparency and family access remained essential.

Gohar added that formal negotiations with the government had yet to begin and that the authority to decide the protest’s future rested with Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas.

Wider Political and Security Impact

The sit-ins, which began on Friday, have contributed to political friction between the government and opposition. While authorities maintain that medical care is being provided as per protocol, PTI and its allies insist that independent oversight and family access are necessary to ensure credibility.

With both sides holding firm positions and security tightened across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the protest movement appears set to continue unless a breakthrough is achieved regarding Imran Khan’s medical access and treatment arrangements.