ISLAMABAD: Opposi­tion lawmakers on Tuesday marched from Parliament House to the Supreme Court, only a couple of minutes away, to express their reservations against the 27th Amendment, which relegated the status of the apex court in favour of the Federal Constitutional Court.

MNA Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who has been nominated for the National Assembly opposition leader slot by the PTI, led the march attended by PTI inte­rim chief Gohar Ali Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Sajid Tareen, Allama Nasir Abbas and others. The Islamabad police ensured strict security for the lawmakers and deployed officials to manage traffic and prevent any untoward situation.

The PTI also held a protest outside the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where the jail administration did not allow the party leaders and Imran Khan’s family to meet the former premier. The PTI supporters subsequently held a sit-in outside the jail against the decision and criticised the prison administration for violating the court order in this regard.

Aleema Khan said it was unfortunate that the Adiala admin did not allow them to meet Mr Khan. She added that the meeting was barred because she was sharing the messages of Imran Khan with the nation. She said she would not return home until she was allowed a meeting with her brother. However, the police rounded up a number of PTI supporters and also warned Aleema of arrest. In response to a question, Aleema Khan said the 26th Amendment had made the court silent while the 27th Amendment bulldozed it.

Mr Khan, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. The PTI has regularly raised concerns about his health and that of the former first lady.

Last month, his legal team approached United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Dr Alice J Edwards to urge the Pakistani government to cease the alleged mistreatment of the couple.

Qureshi’s surgery

Meanwhile, the PTI media wing said party’s vice chief Shah Mahmood Qureshi underwent a successful gallbladder surgery on Tuesday morning at the PKLI hospital in Lahore. In a statement issued, the party claimed that despite the hardships of imprisonment, Mr Qureshi has continued to face these ordeals with extraordinary courage.

“His two and a half years of wrongful incarceration and unwavering resolve serve as a beacon of inspiration for the entire party. We take pride in the courage of all our prisoners of conscience and continue to pray for their swift release,” it stated.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2025