• Calls off demonstration after registrar assures early hearing of cases
• KP CM Afridi voices concern over reports about ex-PM’s health
• Urges treatment under supervision of personal physicians
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday staged a protest outside the Supreme Court over the health of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan and delays in his pending cases, but it called off the demonstration after the court registrar assured party leaders that the cases would be fixed for hearing next week.
The party approached the Supreme Court registrar seeking early hearings of Mr Khan’s cases and access for his family members and personal doctors.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who joined the protest outside the apex court, expressed serious concern over reports regarding Mr Khan’s health, saying the nation had grave reservations about his wellbeing.
“We neither politicise Imran Khan’s health, nor has Imran Khan ever raised the issue of his health with the objective of seeking any form of relief,” the chief minister said.
“It is therefore imperative that his health is treated with the seriousness it warrants and that, with the necessary moral courage, the demand for his treatment under the supervision of his personal physicians, in the presence of his family, is accepted,” he added.
Speaking to the media, Mr Afridi said that during his tenure as prime minister, Mr Khan had permitted Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment despite questions having been raised about the authenticity of medical certificates submitted in his case.
“Imran Khan was aware of those concerns, yet he acted in accordance with the principles of humanity and compassion and allowed Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment,” he said.
“Today, Imran Khan himself is being denied fundamental human rights and access to justice. This is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable,” Mr Afridi added.
He claimed that Mr Khan had been imprisoned in fabricated cases, while his political opponents were themselves involved in corruption and misuse of public resources.
“They engaged in corruption, acquired properties and assets abroad, and looted the wealth of the country and its people,” he alleged.
The chief minister said those responsible for what he termed injustice should remember that “no one can escape justice” and everyone would ultimately have to answer for their actions. He said the country’s justice system was facing a severe test of its institutional integrity.
“If even one judge takes a principled stand for justice, it will give other judges the courage and confidence to do the same,” he said.
“The people are looking to the judiciary with hope. If judges do not deliver justice, and do not perform the very duties for which they draw their salaries, then where will the people turn in their pursuit of justice?” he asked.
Mr Afridi said he was witnessing “a spark of revolution” in the eyes of the country’s youth which, if allowed to intensify, would become increasingly difficult to contain.
He warned that if what he described as oppression and injustice continued and public resentment deepened, circumstances could reach a point where even an appeal from Mr Khan might no longer be sufficient to restore goodwill among the people.
“The rulers and decision-makers must understand the gravity of the situation, open their eyes before Sept 27 and steer the country towards justice, constitutional supremacy and the rule of law. Otherwise, the situation could become increasingly difficult to manage,” he cautioned.
Hearings assured
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the party had approached the Supreme Court registrar seeking early hearings of cases involving Mr Khan and permission for his sisters and personal doctors to meet him.
Speaking to the media after meeting the registrar, Mr Raja said the party had requested that Mr Khan’s pending cases be fixed for hearing without delay.
“We have been assured that all the cases will be fixed for hearing next week and the cause list will be issued,” he said.
Mr Raja said the party would raise the matter before the court next week and expressed hope that relief would be granted to Mr Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Following the meeting with the registrar, Mr Raja announced an end to the protest outside the Supreme Court. He said the party would return to the streets on Thursday (tomorrow) for “true freedom” and appealed to the public to join the protest.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2026
