PTI weighs delaying long march amid leadership concerns

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have proposed postponing the party's planned long march, with a majority of members suggesting October 5 to 10 as the new timeframe, ARY News reported. The proposal emerged during a PTI leadership meeting in Peshawar.

Participants expressed serious reservations over the roles of Mahmood Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas, though the report did not specify the exact nature of those concerns. Both figures have been part of opposition alliances, but the meeting's objections remained unclear.

The meeting discussed the government's decision to block roads, which participants described as a sign of panic. They termed the closure of routes and Islamabad a success of the movement, according to ARY News.

Party leaders were informed that the PTI was in contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). On the PPP, the meeting was told that the party was not openly discussing the matter yet and was waiting for its Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to return to Pakistan.

A proposal was also made to convene an All Parties Conference (APC) between October 6 and 10. The meeting reviewed the performance of the party's Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan chapters and discussed the possible transfer of PTI founder Imran Khan to a hospital and concessions for Bushra Bibi.

Participants proposed speeding up contacts with all opposition parties, signaling an effort to broaden the movement's base ahead of the march. No final decision on the march date was announced.

Barrister Gohar, Sohail Afridi, Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja and Junaid Akbar were among those who attended the meeting, ARY News added.