Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas on Monday demanded the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to address issues related to meeting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, vowing that the government would not be toppled if it improved relations with the ex-premier.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023, currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. In addition, he faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act for the May 9, 2023, protests. His party has intensified calls for his release after a medical report submitted to court said his right-eye vision had dropped to 15%, while the government maintains he is receiving the best care.

Speaking during today’s Senate session, Abbas said: “You fix things with the PTI founder. I promise I will not let your government fall.”

He said the holy month of Ramazan was a time for repentance and reconciliation. He expressed concern over reports regarding Imran’s eye condition, saying the matter had been under discussion and had caused unease among lawmakers.

“We staged a protest sit-in at Parliament House,” Abbas said, adding that the doors of Parliament had been locked. “Let us set a tradition of peaceful protest. Locking Parliament and confining parliamentarians — is this not an insult to Parliament?” he asked.

Abbas reiterated the demand for proper medical treatment for the PTI founder. He said Imran had spent his time in prison reading the translation and exegesis of the Holy Quran. He also alleged that cases against Imran were fabricated and claimed that his sisters were not being allowed to meet him.

He further said Imran was due to receive another injection as part of his medical treatment and called for the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to facilitate meetings with him.

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More to follow.