Islamabad, February 16, 2026: Roads leading to Parliament House were cleared on Monday morning as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) continued their sit-in for the fourth consecutive day, demanding the transfer of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to a hospital amid concerns over his deteriorating eyesight.
The protest began on Friday, shortly after the Supreme Court of Pakistan was informed that the PTI founder had reportedly lost a significant portion of vision in his right eye. The disclosure prompted the apex court to order a medical examination, intensifying political pressure and triggering a sit-in by the opposition alliance.
TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Yousafzai told Dawn that the sudden clearance of routes to Parliament House came as a surprise, noting that the roads had remained blocked since Friday. He said the sit-in locations — Parliament House, Parliament Lodges, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House — would now be merged, with protesters consolidating at Parliament House.
The opposition’s protest was initially led at different venues by TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, while PTI parliamentarians staged a sit-in outside Parliament Lodges. The demonstration at KP House was led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Yousafzai said the sit-in would continue until all demands were accepted, adding that the opposition would review the government’s health report on Imran Khan, which is expected to be submitted to the Supreme Court, before deciding on further action. He also alleged that access to food, water, and medicines for protesters inside Parliament House had been restricted for several days, calling it a violation of democratic and constitutional norms.
On Sunday, a team of doctors examined Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, where he has been incarcerated since 2023. However, the PTI rejected the examination, saying it was conducted without the presence of his family or personal physicians.
Earlier, PTI MNA Asad Qaiser said the party, along with its opposition allies, would continue the sit-in to pressure the government into shifting Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital. “We will not compromise on Imran’s health,” he said, accusing the government of testing the party’s stamina.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar sought to allay concerns, stating that there was “nothing as such to worry about” regarding Imran Khan’s eyesight. Addressing a bar association in Punjab’s Shahdara area, Tarar said the latest medical examination — conducted on the Supreme Court’s orders — indicated no alarming deterioration.
According to the minister, doctors informed him that with corrective eyewear, one eye was approximately 70 per cent functional, while the other had normal 6/6 vision. He urged political actors to focus on national issues, stressing that political stability was essential for economic recovery. Tarar also criticised road blockades in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling them unconstitutional and warning that the federal government may take action if the situation was not rectified.
Adding to the debate, Imran Khan’s long-time personal physician, Dr Aasim Yusuf, released a video statement saying he had spoken to Islamabad-based eye specialists treating the former premier. He said doctors reported significant improvement in Imran’s vision following treatment but added that he could neither confirm nor deny the claims without personally examining him. Dr Yusuf appealed to authorities to allow access to Imran’s personal doctors and reiterated the call for treatment at Shifa International Hospital.
Medical records submitted to the Supreme Court indicate that Imran Khan underwent a procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on January 24. A report signed by the PIMS executive director diagnosed him with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in the right eye. Imran has maintained that he had normal 6/6 vision in both eyes until October 2025 and that despite treatment, his right-eye vision has been severely affected.
Imran Khan’s legal team has also approached the apex court. His lawyer, Latif Khosa, wrote to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, urging the immediate transfer of the former prime minister to Al-Shifa Hospital for specialised treatment. Another lawyer, Salman Safdar, told the court that Imran had lost up to 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye and alleged repeated denial of access to family members and personal physicians.
As political tensions simmer in the capital, the opposition maintains that its sit-in will continue until Imran Khan is shifted to a hospital of his family’s choice and granted what it calls his constitutional right to proper medical care.
