DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan on Thursday said the Sept 27 date announced for the PTI’s long march remained unchanged for now, while reiterating that the party was still committed to negotiations and political dialogue.
He said the door to dialogue remained open, but there would be no change in the schedule unless there was “tangible and credible progress” on the party’s demands.
Mr Jan said two principal demands had been put forward when the Sept 27 date was announced at the Aug 5 public gathering. The first was that cases against PTI founder Imran Khan be fixed for hearing and decided strictly in accordance with law and justice. The second was his transfer, in view of his health condition, to a facility where he could receive appropriate medical care in the presence of family members and personal physicians.
He said the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Mr Khan’s transfer constituted progress on the second demand and called for immediate implementation of the judicial order.
The minister expressed concern over what he described as a delay in implementing the order, saying Mr Khan’s health should not be turned into a political controversy.
“Nothing is more important than Imran Khan’s health,” he said, adding that the government should have facilitated his transfer on humanitarian and moral grounds.
Mr Jan said the Sept 27 date was not intended to create confrontation but to secure constitutional, legal and political rights. He said preparations for the movement would continue until the party’s demands were addressed.
He claimed that PTI had not issued a formal call for a movement since Nov 26, but restrictions on its political activities had continued. He also alleged that Mr Khan had remained in isolation for an extended period and that his sister had been allowed to meet him only after about 265 days.
The minister said whenever PTI’s political activities gained momentum or a date was announced, the government started talking about negotiations.
“Negotiations should take place, but they should not be used merely to buy time,” he said, adding that the party wanted serious and workable progress on its demands.
Mr Jan said Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi was personally overseeing the preparations and would visit Hangu on Saturday and Buner on Sunday as part of the party’s planned street movement.
He said the chief minister would subsequently visit other districts, while consultations with allied parties and the party leadership would continue regarding a broader political outreach campaign in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
Rejecting speculation on social media about a possible deal, the minister said there had been no agreement, backchannel contact or intention to enter into any secret arrangement.
“If a deal had been the objective, Imran Khan would not have spent nearly 1,000 days in detention,” he said.
Mr Jan said the issue was not about any deal but implementation of a judicial decision. He said all stakeholders were bound to respect court orders and the government should ensure their full and immediate implementation.
He added that if the order was not implemented, PTI would pursue all available legal remedies, including contempt of court proceedings.
The minister reiterated that the Sept 27 date remained in place for the time being. However, he said any genuine progress on the party’s demands could lead to a review of the future course of action through consultations among the party leadership, allied parties and relevant forums.
He said PTI’s priorities remained the protection of Mr Khan’s health, implementation of the judicial order, adjudication of cases on merit, and upholding the Constitution and rule of law.
