PTI links protest call-off to meeting with Imran Khan, PML-N rejects proposal
On Sunday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) urged all its office-bearers to travel to Islamabad on October 15 if the government continued to deny lawyers and doctors access to party founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail.
Hammad Azhar, the acting president of PTI’s Punjab chapter, released a late-night statement expressing concern over Khan’s health. He indicated that the party’s previous request for a meeting with the incarcerated leader had not received a favorable response from the government.
Azhar warned that ticket-holders and office-bearers who did not arrive in Islamabad by the specified date would lose their privileges and positions. He pledged to lead a peaceful protest, despite facing severe threats to his life.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman spoke with PTI leader Asad Qaiser, who demanded a meeting with Imran Khan in exchange for reconsidering the protest. Qaiser stated that Fazlur Rehman had requested the PTI to delay the protest for the country’s best interests, adding that the JUI-F leader supported the idea of allowing PTI lawyers to meet Khan.
Qaiser emphasized that there were concerns regarding Khan’s health and the need for a medical check-up.
In a tweet, Hammad Azhar questioned the government’s reluctance to facilitate a meeting with Khan, arguing that if they genuinely cared about the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, they should permit access to the imprisoned leader. He accused the “fake” government of conspiring against the PTI and hiding information about Khan’s well-being.
PTI’s provincial information secretary, Shaukat Basra, supported Azhar’s statements, claiming that the government was using the SCO summit as a pretext to target Khan and the PTI, particularly regarding proposed “unconstitutional” amendments in parliament. Basra stated that access to Khan would lead to the PTI withdrawing its protest call on October 15.
Shayan Bashir from PTI’s Lahore chapter criticized the government’s respect for national integrity, recalling past protest events. Azhar also noted that the doors of Adiala Jail had been opened during a previous protest in Sangjani, questioning why they could not be opened now.
In response, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the PTI’s claims regarding risks to Imran Khan’s health in prison, stating that PTI leadership and workers lacked respect for Pakistan and were adhering to the mantra “No Khan, no Pakistan.”
