ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Red Zone Locked Down as Opposition Launches Protest Outside Parliament Over Imran Khan’s Health Concerns
On Friday, Islamabad’s Red Zone was cordoned off, with security forces preventing Members of Parliament from approaching the Parliament building amid a PTI-led demonstration. The party organized a sit-in outside the high-security area to protest what they claim is government negligence in the medical care of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated.
Police personnel and barriers were deployed at Radio Pakistan Chowk to restrict access to Shahrah-e-Dastoor and the Parliament complex. This demonstration follows a report submitted by PTI lawyer Salman Safdar to the Supreme Court regarding his visit to Adiala Jail and his meeting with Khan, who has reported only 15% vision in his right eye.
The Supreme Court appointed Safdar as amicus curiae to investigate and report on Khan’s health by February 11, after Khan’s alarming health update.
Outside the Parliament, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told journalists that he had just managed to reach the premises amid tight security. “Members of Parliament are being stopped; I was only able to get here,” he said, confirming that the party’s protest had officially started.
Gohar Ali warned that if the authorities deny the PTI the right to protest at the designated location, similar demonstrations could erupt across the nation. “We are trying to ensure justice. If the situation spirals out of control, the government will struggle to manage it,” he cautioned.
He also revealed that the PTI founder authorized Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to lead the protests on his behalf.
Achakzai addressed the media, emphasizing that the sit-in would be peaceful. He called for the PTI founder’s personal doctor and family to be allowed access to him, stating, “Earlier, we were told his condition was improving. We want him to receive proper treatment from qualified doctors available in the country.”
Meanwhile, police sealed the gates of the Parliament Lodges to prevent PTI lawmakers from leaving to join the protest.
