Leaders of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) have announced a nationwide shutter-down strike set for February 8, reported a leading Pakistan daily.
Urging citizens to join the strike, they said no concessions will be made regarding the health of incarcerated PTI founder, Khan, who is lodged in a Rawalpindi jail since August, 2023.
The decision to strike emerged from a meeting of PTI’s joint parliamentary committee held at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad, which was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi; TTAP chief, Mahmood Khan Achakzai; PTI Secretary General, Salman Akram Raja, and senior figures such as Asad Qaiser and Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, among others, as per the newspaper.
Leaders have resolved to ramp up PTI’s street mobilisation to guarantee the nationwide protest’s success and announced that rallies would take place after Isha prayers on February 8.
The developments follow the government’s confirmation last week that Imran underwent treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), shortly after media reports emerged on the matter, the newspaper said.
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In an interview with a Pakistan TV channel, Tarar said that Khan was brought to PIMS in Islamabad for a “20-minute” medical procedure on the night of January 24 where his “eyes were further examined, and after his written approval, a 20-minute medical procedure was performed”, after which he was returned to Adiala jail with “important instructions”.
PIMS executive director, Rana Imran Sikander, later confirmed that the eye procedure was completed “smoothly” and that Imran remained “stable” throughout.
Speaking to those present, Qaiser said the session was called due to growing worries about Imran’s health, noting that representatives of 40 million people were in attendance and had collectively decided not to compromise on the PTI founder’s condition and called for the immediate restoration of his visitation rights.
Warning the “powers that be”, Qaiser asked not to “push us against the wall”, adding that, “otherwise, all options are open”.
Stressing on the urgency of the protest, he added, “Today, we pledge that we will make the protest successful.”
Earlier this week, Achakzai sent a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requesting his “personal intervention” to permit examination of the PTI founder by doctors trusted by the jailed leader.
The participants also voiced alarm over the worsening security situation in Balochistan after a string of recent attacks and conveyed solidarity with those who sacrificed their lives for the nation, the newspaper reported.
The meeting also demanded steps to improve the welfare of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah area, and pressed authorities to help displaced families return to their homes.
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