PTI protests across country over denial of care to Imran
0
• Party, allies demand leader be shifted to private hospital
• Sit-ins staged inside and outside parliament, KP House
• Demos also held in Karachi, Lahore and parts of KP
ISLAMABAD / KARACHI/ LAHORE / PESHAWAR: A day after revelations emerged about the vision loss of PTI founder Imran Khan, the opposition party staged countrywide protests on Friday against the denial of treatment to the former premier.
The PTI, along with the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), of which it is a part, staged a sit-in outside Parliament House and later inside it. The opposition party and its allies demanded that Mr Khan be shifted to a private hospital for treatment.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that his party’s lawmakers reached parliament “after overcoming all the obstacles in their way” ahead of the sit-in. In a video message, TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai vowed to continue the sit-in “until all demands are met”, including admitting Mr Khan to “Al-Shifa Hospital”.
After staging a sit-in outside, the opposition members entered Parliament House and were staging a sit-in inside the main entrance, which was on-going at the time of going to press. The PTI also claimed that many of its MNAs and senators were present in Parliament Lodges and that police had locked the gates from outside.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was also in Islamabad, but capital police stopped him and other PTI members of the provincial assembly from reaching Parliament House.
Consequently, they staged a sit-in outside the KP House in the federal capital. This demonstration was also underway at the time of going to press.
It was also alleged in the post shared by a CM’s official that police “pushed and roughed up” the protesters.
The PTI also alleged in a post on X that Special Assistant to the KP CM on Information Shafi Jan “had his collar grabbed by a police officer”.
Separately, the leadership of Awaam Pakistan — Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail — announced that it would also participate in TTAP’s sit-in outside Parliament House.
Other cities
In Karachi, heavy police deployment and barricades were placed around the press club as leaders and workers of the PTI attempted to stage a protest over the alleged deteriorating health of Mr Khan.
The police blocked entry points to the press club, preventing workers from reaching the venue. After failing to reach their destination due to the blockade, the PTI workers staged a protest in the Saddar area. In KP, PTI activists blocked roads and staged protest demonstrations outside press clubs in different parts of the province.
Party leaders and activists blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway at different points, demanding the immediate release of Mr Khan.
After registering their protest in Peshawar, they moved towards Swabi. The PTI leaders and activists from different districts later staged a protest at the Swabi Interchange.
In Punjab, a group of lawyers staged a protest demonstration at GPO Chowk outside the Lahore High Court (LHC), demanding proper medical treatment and the immediate release of Mr Khan.
The protest was organised by the Insaf Lawyers Forum members, who gathered at the main entrance of the LHC near GPO Chowk.
Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026
