ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confirmed the postponement of its planned protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk after the government assured that medical check-ups for the party’s detained founder, Imran Khan, would be conducted.
Speaking after a meeting of PTI’s political committee, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, party’s chairman in Khan’s absence, said, “The government has accepted our demand, and doctors from PIMS and Shaukat Khanum will examine Imran Khan tomorrow.”
He added that PTI’s focus remains on ensuring the health of their chairman, regardless of which hospital’s doctors conduct the check-up.
According to PTI sources, the protest was initially scheduled as part of a broader campaign to demand the release of Imran Khan. Workers and supporters were instructed to gather at D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 15.
However, after assurances from the government, PTI decided to delay the demonstration.
“The health of our chairman is paramount,” Barrister Gohar stated, reiterating the party’s commitment to securing proper medical attention for their leader.
Previously, reports indicated that PTI had mobilised its members from across the country for a large-scale protest. Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid was overseeing the event, and Hammad Azhar was responsible for mobilising support from Punjab. However, the protest has now been postponed in light of the government’s commitment.
The government’s agreement came amidst growing pressure as the protest was set to coincide with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad, which had prompted concerns about potential disruptions.
Party insiders indicated that the leadership remains vigilant and will continue monitoring the situation, with further decisions depending on the outcome of Imran Khan’s medical evaluation.
Earlier, The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has revealed its condition for calling off its October 15 protest, with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejecting the Imran Khan-founded party’s proposal.
The federal government and its allies, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had called upon the PTI to reconsider its rally’s date as it clashed with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, set to be held in Islamabad on Oct 15-16.
“You can open the jail for a jalsa […] so if you’re worried about the SCO, then allow a meeting with Khan. If his sisters and doctors say that everything is fine after meeting him, then there’ll be no protest,” PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said during the Geo News programme “Naya Pakistan.”
Explaining that the meeting would take 10-15 minutes, he stressed that the party’s leadership was worried about its founding chairman’s health. “You’ve made us incommunicado,” he said, claiming that the authorities were not allowing meetings with the ex-prime minister. –Agencies
