Islamabad, Sep 22 (IANS) Pakistan’s federal health authorities have ordered hospitals in Islamabad to prepare for a potential “humanitarian crisis” and “mass casualty incident” with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests scheduled to take place in Islamabad on September 27, a report has detailed.
The measures have started to impact patients at Islamabad hospitals. Patients scheduled for surgeries were told that their procedures were postponed, Drop Site News reported, citing people familiar with the situation. The surgical departments are to be re-organised for a possible influx of casualties.
Leave of medical, nursing, paramedical, administrative, and support staff has been suspended, and employees who were already on leave have been recalled immediately. Patients who are stable or recovering are being discharged from the hospital to create more bed space, the report in Drop News mentioned.
“The instructions to hospitals show that the government is yet again preparing a brutal crackdown on protestors. In a similar protest in November 2024, the Pakistani military killed dozens of PTI protestors using live rounds and snipers on the gathered crowds in the middle of the night. A Drop Site investigation from the time showed that the Pakistani military had planned the crackdown on the protestors. The military later successfully covered up the total number of casualties from the incident and arrested journalists trying to investigate,” the report mentioned.
At the same time, police in Lahore have also detained former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s three sisters – Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, along with their children. As many as eight members of Imran Khan’s family have been detained within 24 hours. Aleema Khan’s son, Shershah Khan, said that the children were released after a few hours of detention, but Imran Khan’s sisters remain in custody, as per the report. Furthermore, several PTI leaders have been arrested, and raids have been conducted in a nationwide crackdown before the PTI’s protest.
A petition challenging the 30-day detention orders issued against Imran Khan’s three sisters was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday, requesting their immediate release. Aleema Khan’s son, Shahraiz Khan, has filed the petition in the court challenging the detention of his mother and two aunts.
In the petition, Shahraiz Khan has requested the court to declare the detention order null and void and order the immediate release of all three women, Pakistan-based daily ‘The Express Tribune’ reported. The petition was filed after the Lahore Deputy Commissioner (DC) issued the 30-day detention order for Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.
In the petition, Shahraiz Khan said that the detention order issued by the Lahore DC on September 20 was illegal and unlawful. He alleged that Aleema Khan was arrested while she was travelling with her driver for personal work and there was no public gathering or situation that posed a threat to public order. The petitioner stated that Aleema Khan was detained along with her driver, Muhammad Ameer.
On Monday, Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, condemned the detention of his aunts – Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, terming it as a “criminal behaviour” and urged the international community to act on the matter.
In a post on X, Kasim Khan stated, “This is a disgrace. Now my Aunts Dr. Uzma and Noreen, along with my cousins Shershah and Shahrez have now been abducted as well. They have broken into my aunties and cousins houses and forced them into vehicles with no explanation. No reasons for arrest have been stated.
“No news has been released as to where they have been taken. This is criminal behaviour. Inexcusable. The Pakistani people are petrified of their own leaders. No upstanding nation should tolerate this criminal establishment. Intervention is now imperative. The world MUST take action,” he added.
–IANS
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