- Jan differs with CM Afridi over march’s immediate objective.
- Afridi says long march aimed at access to jailed Imran Khan.
- CM says September 27 is chosen considering weather.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shafi Jan said the party has no option left but to launch a long march with an ultimate goal of party founder Imran Khan’s release, announcing that it will head from Peshawar to Islamabad with two million people.
Speaking on Geo News programme “Naya Pakistan,” Jan said PTI workers are protesting because “nobody is listening to us”, adding that the long march was their “last option”.
“We will leave Peshawar with two million people,” he said, adding that the impact of the march would be felt across the country.
Jan’s comments, however, contrasted with those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who said the purpose of the PTI long march would not be Imran’s release but access to the party founder.
“Imran Khan’s release would take place in accordance with the Constitution and law, while the immediate objective of the march is to secure access to him,” the CM told Naya Pakistan a day earlier.
Imran, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party describe as politically motivated.
Since his ouster in April 2022 through a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple legal cases, including allegations relating to state gifts and an unlawful marriage case.
While some convictions have been suspended or overturned, several appeals remain pending before higher courts. Imran and his party continue to deny all allegations of wrongdoing.
Jan stressed that the party would stage a peaceful protest within the framework of the law and Constitution.
He said that Imran’s sisters were not being allowed to meet him and claimed that meetings with the former prime minister had been stopped for the past nine months.
“The meetings with the PTI founder will have to be restored,” he said.
Jan said the party had announced the long march because there was no other way forward. He called on all PTI workers to unite by September 27, saying the movement was aimed at securing Imran’s release.
According to Jan, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) agrees with PTI and will participate in the long march on September 27.
He also said PTI is in full contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), while other political parties would also join the protest.
Jan said former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would also be with them, describing him as part of PTI.
‘September 27 would not be a one-day event’
A day earlier, Afridi said he himself would lead the September 27 long march. He said it would not be a one-day event and that the protesters would not return after reaching Islamabad.
The chief minister said the decision to announce the long march was taken after consultations with PTI and TTAP leaders.
Asked why September 27 had been chosen despite the date being around one-and-a-half months away, Afridi said the timing would provide suitable weather conditions and sufficient time for preparations.
