ISLAMABAD/ PESHAWAR: Amid heavy security, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on Friday staged a sit-in inside the Parliament House lobby, protesting what it termed inadequate medical treatment for jailed PTI founder Imran Khan.
The alliance had originally planned to demonstrate outside Parliament but shifted indoors after being denied access. Parallel sit-ins were also held outside Parliament House and at KP House, where Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was stopped from joining the main protest.
TTAP Chairman and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai said the protest would remain peaceful but insisted Imran Khan must be examined by his personal physician and treated at Al-Shifa International Hospital in the presence of nominated doctors. He warned that nationwide sit-ins could be announced if demands were not met.
Opposition leaders, including Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, led sloganeering during the protest. Entry and exit points around Constitution Avenue and Parliament House remained sealed, while talks between government representatives and the opposition were reported but yielded no breakthrough.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi criticised the treatment of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, calling it “dangerous” and warning it could fuel public anger beyond control. He said protesters and opposition assembly members from KP and Punjab had faced harassment, while no government official had contacted him despite court orders allowing Imran Khan’s personal physician access.
Police were accused of pushing and roughing up protesters during ongoing demonstrations. The TTAP confirmed that its sit-in outside Parliament House would continue until Imran Khan was admitted to Al-Shifa International Hospital, with no compromise on his medical care.
Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, noted that the family had not yet received a written Supreme Court order for his eye examination, despite the court’s February 16 deadline, urging immediate action to prevent further risk to his eyesight.
PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser said lawmakers overcame obstacles to reach Parliament and staged a sit-in demanding proper medical treatment in the presence of family and personal doctors. He stressed that providing medical care is a constitutional right and warned that further action would follow if their demands are not met.
The PTI alleged on X that Special Assistant to the KP CM on Information, Shafi Jan, was physically harassed by police during the sit-in, while TTAP Vice-Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokar claimed all roads to Parliament had been cordoned off. He also said gates of Parliament Lodges were closed, leaving MNAs and Senators trapped, describing the measures as a sign of weakness rather than strength.
Ahead of the protest, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the media that the opposition had the right to protest and denied that the government imposed the blockade. He reiterated that Imran Khan’s health was a medical issue, not a political one, and assured that the PTI founder would receive proper care wherever he preferred, with no negligence tolerated.
Earlier, the Red Zone area of the federal capital was placed under a total security lockdown as authorities moved to pre-empt a planned protest by the PTI and the TTAP.
The heightened security measures effectively paralysed the federal capital’s high-security enclave, with law-enforcement agencies sealing all entry and exit points to prevent demonstrators from gathering near key government installations.
Anticipating a major showdown, the administration ordered the closure of the main gates of Parliament House. A massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces was seen both inside and outside the legislative building, supported by the strategic positioning of prison vans and armoured vehicles at its entrance. The security blanket extended across Constitution Avenue, which was entirely blocked at Radio Pakistan Chowk. Reports from the scene indicated that law-enforcement personnel were strictly enforcing the blockade, denying passage to civilians and even elected members of the Parliament.
The day was marked by high tension and multiple standoffs between political leaders and security staff. PTI lawmakers Iqbal Afridi and Umair Niazi were among those physically stopped at Radio Pakistan Chowk, preventing their access to the Parliament. In a separate incident, a heated verbal exchange erupted between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Fatahullah Khan and police officials after he was barred from proceeding to the House. Khan later on alleged that security personnel physically assaulted his guard during the altercation.
The restrictions also significantly impacted the media, as the entry passes for both parliamentarians and journalists were reportedly rendered invalid under what was described as arbitrarily imposed security protocols. This move drew sharp criticism from the Parliamentary Reporters Association and various journalistic bodies, who condemned suspension of access as an affront to democratic norms and the freedom of the press.
Till Friday evening, the Red Zone remained a virtual fortress, with the Diplomatic Enclave placed under additional protection as the city braced for further political friction.
Meanwhile, the PTI expressed profound anguish over delay in issuance of the apex court’s written order permitting specialist medical examination of PTI founder Imran Khan.
“Equally alarming is the naked fascism unleashed against elected representatives outside the Parliament House, which reflects a grave and accelerating erosion of constitutional norms, judicial transparency, and democratic freedoms in Pakistan,” the party said in a statement issued here.
In Peshawar, the PTI activists staged a protest at the Peshawar Motorway Toll Plaza against what they described as denial of medical treatment and violation of the basic human rights of party founder Imran Khan in jail.
However, the turnout remained thin and no central party leader attended the demonstration.
The protest, initially planned at Surey Pul, was later shifted to the Peshawar Toll Plaza after PTI Peshawar President Irfan Saleem Khan issued a video message directing workers to assemble there. Party sources said similar protests were held in other major cities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Despite the party’s expectations, the number of protesters remained limited. Unlike Islamabad, where PTI parliamentarians recorded their protest, no such delegation of lawmakers appeared at the Peshawar Toll Plaza.
Some workers were seen expressing confusion over the next course of action, as they were informed that a meeting was under way and a decision would follow on whether to remain at the toll plaza or proceed towards the Swabi Interchange.
The Peshawar Toll Plaza remained open for traffic during the protest. However, authorities temporarily closed the motorway near the Swabi Rest Area as a precautionary measure, diverting vehicles to alternative routes. Heavy police deployment was witnessed to maintain law and order.
Correspondent adds from Swabi: PTI workers and leaders blocked the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway near Swabi interchange in protest against what they alleged was damage to the party founder’s eyesight.
The protesters demanded that the federal government withdraw all allegedly false cases against their leader, release him, and provide him with proper medical treatment. They vowed to keep the motorway closed until their demand for Imran Khan’s release was met.
Due to the closure of the motorway, commuters faced significant hardship and were forced to wait. The motorway remained closed till the filing this report.
