• Asad Qaiser says demonstrations will be held on Friday over inflation, fuel price hike, denial of treatment to Imran
• PTI stages sit-in after Imran’s sisters, KP CM’s caravan stopped from entering capital, en route to Adiala

ISLAMABAD: Parties from the PTI-led opposition are planning to hold nationwide protests on Friday against inflation, a massive increase in fuel prices, “prevailing lawlessness”, and the treatment meted out to incarcerated ex-PM Imran Khan.

The decision was announced by the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) in a statement, which was later endorsed by PTI leaders, who addressed a press conference outside Parliament House following a parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a caravan led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, which was on its way to Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail to meet Imran Khan, was stopped from entering Islamabad, prompting the participants to stage a sit-in at the intersection of Srinagar Highway and G.T. Road — loca­lly referred to as Chungi No. 26.

Addressing the media alongside party leader Shahid Khattak, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the entire party and the people of Pakistan were deeply concerned about the health of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.

“Protests will be held across the country on Friday against inflation, the increase in petroleum prices, concerns over the health of PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, a dem­and for their hospitalisation, the release of political prisoners, and the restoration of fundamental human rights,” he said.

He said the PTI had also decided to stage protests during the parliamentary sessions. It may be noted that the opposition lawmakers on Monday held shadow proceedings and disrupted the NA session over concerns about Imran’s treatment.

He said elected representatives had been disqualified and “politically motivated sentences” were handed down. “If the same attitude towards the opposition continues in parliament, the opposition will not allow the House to function,” he warned.

He also criticised the government’s domestic and foreign policies, saying, “Terrorism is increasing in the country due to wrong policies, while diplomatic relations with Afghanistan are not being handled properly.”

The PTI leader demanded that Imran and Bushra Bibi be immediately shifted to the hospital in accordance with jail rules, that meetings be allowed, that the petroleum levy be withdrawn, that electricity and gas load-shedding be ended, and that restrictions on the transportation of wheat and flour from Punjab be removed.

The TTAP statement said that the decision to organise protests at all district headquarters across the country was made at a meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of alliance chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

Besides other PTI leaders, senior lawyer and former PPP leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan also attended the meeting, the release said. The opposition alliance expressed serious concerns over reports regarding Imran’s health and demanded that he be immediately shifted to a hospital and that his family members and political associates be allowed to meet him.

“It also demanded the release of Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Dr Mahrang Baloch, Ali Wazir, and all other detained leaders,” the statement added.

Meeting with Imran denied

On Tuesday, it emerged that a medical team had visited Adiala to conduct the PTI chief’s medical examination amid concerns about his health, particularly his eyesight. According to sources, the team consisted to two members – one doctor each from Pims and the Al-Shifa Trust eye hospital.

But despite the concerns expressed by the opposition over Imran’s health, the Adiala jail administration did not allow PTI leaders to meet Mr Khan on Tuesday.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, along with his entire provincial cabinet and national and provincial lawmakers, was stopped by the Islamabad police en route to jail after exiting the M-1 motorway.

Mr Khan’s sisters were also part of the caravan, which was told that it could not proceed towards the federal capital because Section 144, which restricts gatherings, was in place.

Police then advised them to take a circuitous route to Adiala that did not pass through the capital, leading to heated exchanges.

Due to the restrictions imposed by the police, a large number of people, including those coming from and going to the airport, were stuck in traffic jams. This forced many people to use the ‘wrong way’ to reach the airport on time.

By the time this report went to press, the sit-in by the CM was ongoing, with the participants saying they would not leave until they received assurances from the government regarding their meeting with Mr Khan.

Interestingly, the CM and his companions reached the outskirts of the capital around 4pm, which is also the cut-off time for weekly meetings with Mr Khan.

However, even those party leaders who had arrived outside the prison on time were not allowed to meet the jailed party founder. These included interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and secretary general Salman Akram Raja, and the daughters of Bushra Bibi.

In a statement, PTI criticised the police for stopping the CM’s caravan, and spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram alleged that Imran’s sisters, who took the Chakri route to reach the prison, also found this route blocked. They were then compelled to proceed to Islamabad, where they were obstructed and left stranded alongside the CM and his convoy, he claimed.

Mr Akram said a medical board had reportedly been sent to the jail for a follow-up examination of Imran Khan, adding that they rejected any medical intervention that was not conducted under the supervision of Imran Khan’s personal physicians.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026