Islamabad [Pakistan], February 6 : The leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) declared that they will not make any concessions regarding the health of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and urged citizens to join a nationwide shutter-down strike set for February 8, as reported by Dawn.
This resolution emerged from a meeting of PTI's joint parliamentary committee held at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad.
The closed-door gathering included Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, and senior figures such as Asad Qaiser and Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, among others, according to Dawn.
Speaking to those present, Qaiser explained that the session was called due to growing worries about Imran's health, noting that representatives of 40 million people were in attendance and had collectively decided not to compromise on the PTI founder's condition.
"Don't push us against the wall; otherwise, all options are open," Qaiser warned the "powers that be".
He went on to stress the importance of the planned protest, adding, "Today, we pledge that we will make the protest successful."
Qaiser further revealed that party leaders plan to meet the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court at 10 am on Friday to hand over the resolution adopted during the meeting on Imran's health.
While reading the declaration, Qaiser stated that the session, chaired by Achakzai, expressed deep concern over the PTI founder's medical condition and called for the immediate restoration of his visitation rights.
The participants voiced alarm over the worsening security situation in Balochistan after a string of recent attacks and conveyed solidarity with those who sacrificed their lives for the nation, Dawn reported.
The meeting also demanded steps to improve the welfare of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Tirah area and pressed authorities to help displaced families return to their homes.
Leaders resolved to ramp up PTI's street mobilisation to guarantee the nationwide protest's success.
They strongly condemned the detention of PTI workers in Sindh and announced that rallies would take place after Isha prayers on February 8.
At the same time, attendees welcomed the recent interaction between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP Chief Minister Afridi, while insisting on the settlement of the province's pending financial dues.
Prior to the meeting, Raja had indicated that discussions would cover all pending matters, including the forthcoming protests.
He later clarified that comments made by Achakzai and Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas had been taken out of context.
"They meant that the struggle for democracy will carry on even after February 8," he explained.
These developments follow the government's confirmation last week that Imran underwent treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), shortly after media reports emerged on the matter, Dawn noted.
In an interview with Geo News, Tarar stated that the former prime minister, who is currently held at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, was brought to PIMS in Islamabad for a "20-minute" medical procedure on the night of January 24.
He added that at PIMS, Imran's "eyes were further examined, and after his written approval, a 20-minute medical procedure was performed", after which he was returned to Adiala jail with "important instructions".
PIMS executive director Rana Imran Sikander later confirmed that the eye procedure was completed "smoothly" and that Imran remained "stable" throughout.
Earlier this week, Achakzai sent a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requesting his "personal intervention" to permit examination of the PTI founder by doctors trusted by the jailed leader, Dawn reported.
Separately, PTI has called for a nationwide shutter-down strike on February 8 to demonstrate against alleged irregularities in the 2024 general elections.