PTI decided to hold long march towards Islamabad on Sept 27 after consulting allies: K-P info minister

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Information and Public Relations Minister Shafi Jan on Saturday announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold a long march towards Islamabad on September 27, saying the decision was taken in consultation with the party’s allies.

The call for a long march came after the PTI observed a black day on the third anniversary of party founder Imran Khan’s imprisonment with nationwide protests, demanding the immediate release of the founder and his wife, restoration of constitutional rule, relief from inflation, restoration of what it described as the public mandate and the return of democracy.

In a statement posted on X, Jan said, “The decision to hold a long march towards Islamabad on September 27 was made through mutual consultation between the party and its allies.”

Read: Imran Khan’s sons voice fears over his health on third jail anniversary

The minister said his party was also in contact with religious political parties regarding the planned protest, adding that the “Islamabad Long March” would not be limited to a single day and may take several days.

Jan said the party would head towards the federal capital with “full preparation”.

According to Jan, PTI had exhausted all constitutional and legal avenues to secure what it described as the basic rights of the party founder.

“Imran Khan’s constitutional and legal rights have been usurped; we have no path left except the long march,” he asserted in the social media post.

Jan said PTI was mobilising supporters in Punjab and other provinces ahead of the protest. He also announced a series of seminars at various universities, saying the party’s youth would play a leading role in the movement.

“Iqbal’s young eagles will lead this movement; the numbers will be in the millions,” he claimed.

The PTI leader also invited political parties opposing the federal government to join the party’s movement.

Inviting Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to join the movement, Jan said it should quit the government and join the opposition.

“If the PPP wants to break free from the government, it should leave its constitutional office and join the opposition,” Jan said.

He further warned that those who had allegedly stolen the mandate would now have to face the public and answer for their actions.

Khan was ousted as prime minister through a parliamentary vote of no confidence on April 10, 2022, and a year later, on May 9, 2023, he was detained by the authorities in the Al-Qadir Trust case, leading to widespread riots across the country, serving as the fodder for more cases against the PTI founder.

Since August 2023, the PTI founder has been serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) in connection with the May 9, 2023 protests.