TTAP criticises govt policies, demands elections and medical care for Imran Khan

The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) on Sunday demanded immediate free and fair elections, the release of political prisoners, and proper medical treatment for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside PTI leader and former provincial minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar criticised the government’s governance and economic policies, warning that the continuation of what it termed a “hybrid regime” would amount to “playing with the foundations of the country.” He added that these demands would not create a crisis but help resolve the ongoing one.

Khokhar said the “Form 47 government” had adopted a pattern of not holding itself accountable. “The country cannot continue to function this way. People will grow further alienated, and we will continue to expose their failures and show their true face to the people of Pakistan,” he said.

“When a system of governance fails to deliver to the people, fails to provide economic prosperity, fails internationally, and fails to maintain law and order, the people of Pakistan grow weary of it. Continuing in this manner is equivalent to playing with the foundations of the country,” he added.

Condemning terrorism, including incidents at Islamabad’s Masjid Khadija-tul-Kubra and attacks in Balochistan, Khokhar said effective counterterrorism required clarity of thought. Referring to the National Action Plan formed after the APS tragedy, he said it had not been properly implemented.

He further stressed the importance of political dialogue, saying genuine grievances among the people needed to be addressed, and criticised the government for failing to reach political settlements while lacking clarity in combating militancy.

He also raised concerns about regional security, warning that “clouds of war were hovering over neighbouring Iran.” Referring to the deployment of two US naval carrier strike groups, he said: “The signs are absolutely clear about what is going to happen in our region and to our brotherly country,” alleging attempts at regime change.

Khokhar criticised Pakistan’s reported participation in US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” saying the country joined without debate or consultation. “China stayed away from that Board of Peace, the United Kingdom stayed away, France stayed away, yet we went there to offer praise and present ourselves, and no one knows, no one is aware,” he said.

He also questioned a reported deal involving the Roosevelt Hotel owned by Pakistan International Airlines, asking under what terms it was handed over and who benefited from it.

Meanwhile, Jhagra said foreign direct investment had declined this year compared to last year, with roughly $800 million invested over seven months, while total investment as a percentage of GDP stood at just 13%. He said neither foreign nor local investors were putting money into Pakistan’s economy.

He added that poverty had risen from 22% in 2018-19 to 29% in 2024-25, unemployment was at a 21-year high, and average household income had declined by 10% compared with 2015-16.

He further criticised the government’s poverty threshold of Rs282 per day as unrealistic, claiming that according to the World Bank benchmark of $4 per day, 130 million Pakistanis were living below the poverty line.

Jhagra also criticised the Punjab government for purchasing a Gulfstream luxury jet for Rs10 billion, calling it unjustifiable in a country where 130 million people live below the poverty line. He alleged that the government had not answered questions about the jet purchase, extrajudicial killings by the CCD, expenditures by senior officials, or Rs40 billion spent on a firewall.

He reiterated that in a country where 130 million people live below the poverty line, senior officials had been provided official vehicles worth Rs110m and fuel expenses of Rs700,000 per month.

Separately, TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousafzai spoke about Imran Khan’s eye treatment.

“The issue concerning Imran Khan’s eye was treated with an injection administered on the 25th [January], and the second course is due on the 25th [February],” he said, adding that both TTAP and Imran’s family had demanded he be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for further treatment.

He stated that Imran’s personal physicians, Dr Asim Yousaf and Dr Faisal Sultan, should be present during the treatment, along with a family member, “to ensure that no critical situation arises again as had occurred previously.”