PTI postpones Islamabad long march to October 4
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi says the march will leave Peshawar peacefully despite blockades, while party sources point to October 5.
PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has postponed its long march toward Islamabad until 4 October, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced at a news conference in Peshawar on Friday, Aaj News reported. Afridi said the party's political committee had held consultations and agreed unanimously that the march would leave from Peshawar on 4 October.
UrduPoint also carried the postponement, reporting that Afridi had vowed the march would remain peaceful despite obstacles.
The meeting at Chief Minister House was chaired by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and attended by Afridi, cabinet members and parliamentarians. The chief minister criticised federal ministers and said the PTI's struggle was for the restoration of the constitution. "If the courts start working, the PTI founder's bail will be secured within half an hour," he said, adding that the Supreme Court had ordered Imran Khan transferred to a hospital, but the order had not been carried out.
However, Aaj News, citing party sources, reported that the committee had discussed 5 October, Imran Khan's birthday, as the next possible date, and that a formal announcement would only be made after taking Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas into confidence. The sources said some leaders had complained that the earlier 27 September date had been announced without broader consultation, and several Khyber Pakhtunkhwa members proposed calling an all-parties conference in early October instead of fixing a single date.
Afridi insisted the march would take place regardless. "Whether the government closes roads or places containers in our way, we will reach Islamabad," he said, adding that consultations were continuing and a final announcement would be made at another press conference.
Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said consultations were under way on imposing governor's rule in the province. He claimed there was corruption, lawlessness and terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and said PTI had shown no preparation for the long march, with workers volunteering for arrest. "I think PTI will announce the end of the long march today or tomorrow," Kundi said.
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