PTI signals drive for Imran’s release ‘after Eid’
ISLAMABAD: Warning the federal government against what it described as “criminal negligence” in former prime minister Imran Khan’s medical care, the PTI has hinted at launching a massive movement for his release after Eid.
At a press conference on Friday, PTI leaders reiterated their demand for Mr Khan’s immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital, saying that any further delay could have serious consequences.
They said the party had made every possible effort to secure appropriate medical care for the PTI founder, but the government had repeatedly rejected these requests.
Flanked by senior party leaders, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi warned that the party would not tolerate such behaviour, adding that the PTI was fully prepared to launch a massive movement for its founder’s release.
He reminded the PML-N-led ruling coalition in the Centre that his party had “temporarily slowed its political activities out of respect for the holy month of Ramazan”.
He declared that the party’s preparations, passion and spirit remained fully intact.
CM Afridi also criticised the federal government’s conduct regarding PTI founder’s health, and what he termed ‘politically motivated cases’.
“The PTI founder is not an ordinary citizen; he is a former prime minister of Pakistan, and the government has both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that he receives proper medical treatment. The government’s refusal to allow access to his personal doctors and family members is a blatant violation of basic human rights and legal protocols,” he stated.
Speaking on the occasion, PTI’s Junaid Akbar Khan highlighted what he described as a broader political crackdown, pointing to the disqualification of PTI senators and the suppression of party workers.
He warned that the government’s repression was being accompanied by a failing foreign policy, citing increasingly complex and dangerous dynamics in relations with the Taliban administration in Afghanistan.
He also said the continued mistreatment of the PTI founder was fuelling tensions that the current administration might ultimately be unable to control.
Obstacles being placed in the way of the PTI founder’s medical treatment were unacceptable, he remarked.
Senior PTI leader and lawyer Babar Awan described the secrecy surrounding the PTI founder’s medical condition as a criminal act.
He warned that if any harm came to him due to a lack of proper care, those responsible would have nowhere left to hide in the country.
Mr Awan said the PTI’s demand for transparency was non-negotiable.
Former finance minister Taimur Jhagra said PTI remained the only political force firmly standing with the Constitution and warned that the government’s hostile conduct was widening the divide between the public and state institutions.
MNA Shahid Khattak said the party was not politicising a health issue but was genuinely concerned about the risk of irreversible damage to the PTI founder’s health.
Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2026