ISLAMABAD: After six days of protests, the opposition alliance TTAP and PTI ended their sit-ins on Wednesday, with PTI announcing an “Imran Khan Release Force” to escalate efforts for the ex-premier’s release.
The protests began last week following reports that Khan had lost 85 percent of the vision in his right eye, raising concerns about his health and treatment while in custody.
While the sit-ins ended without immediate results, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) issued a statement warning that they would return after Eid if Khan is not granted access to his personal physicians and allowed meetings with family.
At a press conference, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi confirmed that the “Imran Khan Release Force” would be officially established after Ramadan. He added that it would be a peaceful, structured movement focused on defending the constitution, democracy, and media independence. “There will be a clear chain of command in this force. It would not be that Imran Khan assigns responsibility to specific individuals, but someone else will make cosmetic announcements,” Afridi said.
Afridi expressed confidence that the force would play a decisive role in To a question, he said, “Those within PTI trying to remove me should know that even if they reach this position by pulling someone else down, they will not be honoured.”
He also met with Khan’s three sisters – Aleema, Noreen Niazi, and Uzma Khanum – to discuss the deteriorating health of the former prime minister and his party’s decision to end the sit-in.
In a separate press conference, the opposition leader in Senate, Raja Nasir Abbas, also announced the end of the protests outside Parliament House, which coincided with the beginning of Ramadan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments