Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s entire political leadership, as well as its allies in the opposition coalition Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP), are onboard for his announced long march to Islamabad on Sept. 27 if the party’s demands for access to party founder Imran Khan remain unmet.
In various TV appearances on Monday night, he said the Sept. 27 date for the march was a “collective” decision. Maintaining that the protest was a last resort, he reiterated the PTI’s concerns with Khan’s treatment at Adiala Jail, claiming the former prime minister was in “solitary confinement and isolation for the past seven to eight months.”
Noting neither party members nor family had met Khan in several months, he regretted that requests for the same to the prime minister, the National Assembly speaker, and the Islamabad High Court had all failed. “When you push a large political party pursuing all legal and constitutional avenues against the wall, the only method that remains is that of protest,” he said.
Reiterating that the party’s demands were for Khan to “be given justice and for his cases to be heard strictly on merit,” he said the media should be permitted to cover legal proceedings to “uncover the fact that these are politically motivated cases.” Similarly, he reiterated that Khan should be granted access to his personal physicians.
“On Sept. 27, the people and youth will show up in large numbers, and no one will be able to manage their anger,” he claimed, adding PTI supporters were fixated on past events and “injustices” to Khan, his sisters and incarcerated PTI leaders. “The nation is watching all this and is angry,” he claimed.
To a question on Khan’s sister Aleema criticizing the march date, Afridi maintained she was a “non-political person and has nothing to do with politics.” He expressed confidence that she would understand the situation once it was explained to her.
He also rubbished the impression that the party was seeking a deal with the establishment, denying reports he had recently met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
During his interviews, Afridi also criticized the federal government’s performance and blamed the center for unrest in his province. He also reiterated his desire to engage with the Afghan government on behalf of the country to settle ongoing disputes. Echoing Khan, he claimed he could “bring peace and end terrorism within 100 days.”
To a question, the chief minister said the march could be called off if so ordered by Khan. “I have promised the nation that this political office I hold is due to Imran Khan. Even if I were to lose my office, my government, or my life, I do not care,” he said.