ISLAMABAD - In a late night development, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) postponed its protest planned for today (Tuesday) at Islamabad’s D-Chowk following the federal government’s assurance that incarcerated party chief Imran Khan would be given access to his doctors.
“We have decided to withdraw the protest call after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi gave the assurance that doctors should be allowed to meet with Khan sahib today (in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail,” said PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan in a video message posted on X.
He said PTI’s Political committee in an emergency meeting has unanimously accepted the offer. He added that other parties in the opposition alliance had also requested them to postpone the protest due to the SCO Summit. The sources privy to the development said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman played a major role in defusing the situation by contacting with the interior minister, requesting him that PTI leaders or at least doctors should be allowed to visit the jailed ex-premier Khan.
Earlier in the day, the PTI had announced to move ahead with its planned protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk on the eve of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit after the interior minister denied the party’s request for a meeting with Khan.
The party had planned to hold the protest in the Red Zone when the two-day conference will start in the capital city amidst strict security arrangements with the deployment of army, paramilitary forces and police.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has not given any assurance to PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan over phone for facilitating his meeting with Imran Khan, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
The spokesperson underlined that all visits of prisoners had been banned due to SCO Summit and security threats. “This will be taken as dual standards if only one prisoner is allowed to have visits (with family and lawyers),” he said, adding that the minister had assured only for examining PTI’s application.
Two days earlier, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali had written a letter to the interior minister seeking permission to allow him and party leader Sahibzada Hamid Raza to have a meeting with Khan in jail on urgent basis. The letter said there was grave concern amongst the political leadership and workers of PTI about the health and wellbeing of the party chief.
Last week, PTI had announced it would hold a protest after the government banned all meetings with Khan in jail from October 5 to 18, citing security threats.
The party insisted that Khan should be allowed to meet with his lawyers, family members and party leaders, warning that would hold a protest demonstration if such a permission was not granted.
At the same time, the party appeared to be divided over the October 15 protest call with some of its leaders saying that it was inappropriate to hold a demonstration on the eve of an international moot.
However, PTI leader and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur talking to reporters in Peshawar on Monday said they would stick to their plan of protest at the D-Chowk if not allowed to meet with the party chief.
Noreen Khan, the sister of Khan, in a video message also urged all members of PTI’s student and youth wings to fully participate in the “peaceful” protest. She said the October 15 protest gave a chance to the party to force the government to release all political prisoners including his brother Khan. Former chief minister Gilgit-Baltistan and PTI leader Khalid Khurshid also gave a similar call to the party’s youth.
ENDS/