Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday reiterated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will commence its long march to Islamabad on Sept. 27, maintaining that detaining the party’s lawmakers will not prevent it from proceeding.
In August, Afridi had announced the party would march to Islamabad on Sept. 27 to seek the release of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan. While it has yet to announce any formal strategy, party leaders have indicated they will proceed in caravans from across the country, converging on the federal capital. Reacting to the call, federal ministers have warned the party against proceeding with its plans, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi saying the time had come to “once and for all” end the party’s reoccurring calls to shut down the country.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the parliamentary committee in Peshawar, the chief minister said they had decided to “forcefully exercise” their right to peaceful protest on Sept 27. He claimed the arrest of Imran Khan’s sisters from Lahore, alleged firing on provincial minister Shakeel Khan, and the alleged abduction of Labor Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan all aimed to spoil the party’s protest, warning such tactics would rather bolster their movement.
Maintaining the PTI had not led any major protest in the past two years, Afridi claimed it had tried to resolve its issues through assemblies and courts, without any progress. He lamented that authorities had failed to implement court orders regarding Imran Khan’s meetings or treatment at Shifa International Hospital. He maintained it was the party’s right to hold a peaceful protest, as guaranteed by the Constitution, adding they would announce the details of the protest on Sept. 25. “It has been nine months since I became chief minister; what protests have I staged?” he questioned.
“This oppressive government is responsible for the killing of every party worker, but despite that, we have not submitted, and Imran Khan has not bowed down, even though his wife and family have been targeted. Yesterday, all three of his sisters were abducted,” he alleged.
‘Peaceful’ protest
Speaking at the same presser, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan claimed the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution would prevail during the party’s long march, adding it would never take the “law and order” into its own hands.
Negating a statement of PTI KP President Junaid Akbar, he stressed the party had no designs of “conquering” Islamabad or turning it into “Somnath,” a reference to the Hindu temple attacked by Mahmud Ghaznavi. “Are we terrorists? We are being told that we will be dealt with like terrorists. We are political figures, and we will not arrive like terrorists,” he claimed.
Regretting that the PTI’s views were ignored, including through court orders, he asserted the party had raised its voice in both the National Assembly and Senate. “We are only asking for justice. Provide medical treatment to Imran and give him justice in his cases,” he said, stressing the situation could only improve if both sides started listening to each other. “The state will have to change its approach and think of the country,” he said.
“Our 1,500 workers have been arrested, and lists have been made for the rest. Five MNAs, a senator, our MPAs, including one from Islamabad and ministers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are currently under arrest,” he alleged, questioning how this was happening in a province under the PTI’s control.
He maintained that the PTI had not severed all ties and communication channels remained open.