Parliament lights turned off as opposition holds sit-in for PTI founder

ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties launched a sit-in at the Parliament House today, citing concerns over former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s health, ARY News reported.

According to reports, authorities turned off the lights inside the Parliament House, and all entrances remain closed.

The closures prevented KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi from entering the premises. Protesters gathered inside the Parliament House despite the darkness, while members of PTI staged a demonstration outside.

The sit-in was planned a day earlier when opposition parties meet under the banner of Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan. Opposition lawmakers were directed to gather outside Parliament on Friday. Leaders said the sit-in would continue until the PTI founder is shifted to a hospital.

Salman Safdar’s Report On Imran Khan

Earlier, Barrister Salman Safdar submitted a report to the Supreme Court regarding the health condition of PTI founder Imran Khan which was made public. The report submitted by Safdar recommended an immediate examination of the eyes of the party’s founder.

“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has demanded examination of his eyes by Dr. Faisal Sultan and Asim Yousuf,” a detailed report of seven pages submitted by Salman Safdar to the court read.

It has been recommended in the report that the PTI founder’s eyes could also been examined by an expert ophthalmologist.

The lawyer also recommended providing books to the party’s founder due to his solitary confinement and lack of access to a television set.

“His treatment was started after a sudden and complete loss of his sight of the right eye,” according to the report. “PTI founder has said that he could only see 10 to 15 percent”.

“The jail officials didn’t take it seriously when the eyesight issue of the PTI leader started during the last three months,” the report read. “They didn’t try to address the health condition”, Barrister Salman Safdar said in his report to the court.

“His eyesight of both eyes was normal, three to four months ago,” the PTI leader told the visiting lawyer. “He felt blurredness of eyes later and he repeatedly complained to the Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum,” according to the report.

“The jail officials didn’t take any step to address the complaint, the right eyesight went off completely,” report read.

“Later, the PIMS ophthalmologist Dr Muhammad Arif, examined his eyes. The eyesight of his right eye remained only up to 15 percent,” Salman Safdar said in his report.

It is worth noting that the Supreme Court had ordered arrangements for Salman Safdar to meet the PTI founder in jail. The court granted Barrister Salman Safdar permission to meet him and appointed him ‘a friend of the court’.

The court directed Barrister Safdar to visit Adiala Jail in his capacity as a judicial representative and commissioner. He was instructed to submit a detailed written report regarding Imran Khan’s current condition in custody, the facilities available to him, and his living conditions inside the prison.

The Chief Justice issued clear instructions that Safdar should not be made to wait outside the jail and that no obstacles should be placed in the way of the meeting. In case of any difficulty, he was directed to immediately contact the Chief Justice’s personal staff officer.