Pakistan govt crackdown forces PTI retreat? Imran’s party likely to postpone Sept 27 Islamabad march
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to postpone its planned march to Islamabad from September 27 to October 4, party insiders said on Friday.The PTI had planned the march to the capital to demand the release of its incarcerated founder and former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. The decision to delay the protest apparently came in response to the tough measures taken by the federal government to prevent it.According to PTI sources, the decision was taken at a party meeting and will be formally announced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and PTI leader Sohail Afridi.Earlier in the day, Afridi had asserted at a press conference in Peshawar that the planned long march would go ahead despite road blockades and other measures. However, he expressed concern over reports of nails being driven into roads at the provincial boundaries, questioning whether a conspiracy to “cut” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa off from the rest of Pakistan had formally begun.“Our long march will definitely take place. This time, we will definitely come out. Put nails on the roads, place containers or fire bullets, we will come out. We will end this corrupt system of fake rulers,” he told reporters.“Pakistan will not break at any cost and we will save Pakistan,” he added.Cricketer-turned-politician Khan, 73, has been held at Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail since 2023, when he was arrested following his conviction in a corruption case.
Pakistan minister says PTI has ‘run away’
Pakistan information minister Ataullah Tarar reacted to the reports by saying the PTI had “run away” because it had made “no preparations” for the march to Islamabad.“There are no preparations for the PTI’s long march either, and that is why they have backed out of this protest. If they have the courage, let them come and hold the march,” Tarar said.The federal government had placed shipping containers along Islamabad’s main roads, allowing them to be closed at short notice ahead of the planned march.Hotels in the Faizabad area of Rawalpindi had been closed, while restaurants and shopkeepers were directed to shut their businesses. Guest houses and transport terminals in Faizabad had also been ordered to close from Friday night.Thousands of security personnel were deployed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the capital’s twin city and home to Pakistan Army headquarters, to control Khan’s supporters.Tensions over the planned protest continued despite PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan urging the government to open negotiations and warning against confronting political workers with force.(With PTI inputs)
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