PTI defers Islamabad's D-Chowk protest due to SCO summit

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has suspended its D-Chowk protest due to the two-day SCO summit scheduled to begin from today (Tuesday), party chief Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on late Monday.

The decision was taken by the PTI’s political committee in a meeting on Monday in which majority of participants urged to withdraw the protest call for Tuesday in view of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on October 15-16, insiders said.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed the development saying that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi formally contacted his party to ensure medical examination of the party founder on Tuesday morning.

He added that his party postponed its peaceful protest following Naqvi's assurance.

Pakistan is hosting the major diplomatic event bringing together top leaders from approximately eight countries, including two of the world's leading nuclear powers, China and Russia.

Among others, the dignitaries set to attend the SCO moot include Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar — the first visit by an Indian FM in nearly a decade.

However, the protest call given by the Imran Khan-founded party drew much criticism from the federal government and its allies, as well as business and economic experts, urging the PTI leadership to reconsider and postpone their decision.

Earlier today, the former ruling party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram revealed the condition placed before the coalition government to call off its protest, demanding to allow Khan’s sisters and doctors to meet him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail citing concerns over party founder’s health.

Meanwhile, the party has also written a letter to the Ministry of Interior requesting a meeting to be scheduled with the former prime minister. "PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and Hamid Raza should be allowed to meet the PTI founder."

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had rejected the PTI’s proposal while its ministers warned of strict action against anyone trying to disturb the law and order situation in the federal capital during the SCO moot.

However, the federal government, as per sources privy to the development, accepted PTI’s condition to conduct medical examination of jailed Khan.

It was learnt that a team of doctors from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) would visit Adiala Jail on Tuesday morning to examine the former prime minister. Additionally, Khan’s private physician would also be permitted to meet him, the sources added.

Interior Minister Naqvi also informed the PTI leadership regarding the government’s decision.

It is noteworthy to mention here that the Imran Khan-founded party had launched a series of protests for the "independence of the judiciary" — as the government aims to introduce constitutional amendments — and for the release of its founder jailed at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for more than one year.