\u2018No other option\u2019
\nShafi Jan says PTI to begin march on Sept 27, with ultimate goal of Imran Khan\u2019s release
\n Peshawar
\nPakistan 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\u2019s release, announcing that it will head from Peshawar to Islamabad with two million people.
\nSpeaking on Geo News programme \u201cNaya Pakistan,\u201d Jan said PTI workers are protesting because \u201cnobody is listening to us\u201d, adding that the long march was their \u201clast option\u201d.
\n\u201cWe will leave Peshawar with two million people,\u201d he said, adding that the impact of the march would be felt across the country.
\nJan\u2019s 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\u2019s release but access to the party founder.
\n\u201cImran Khan\u2019s release would take place in accordance with the Constitution and law, while the immediate objective of the march is to secure access to him,\u201d the CM told Naya Pakistan a day earlier.
\nImran, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party describe as politically motivated.
\nSince 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.
\nWhile 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.
\nHe said that Imran\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cThe meetings with the PTI founder will have to be restored,\u201d he said.
\nJan 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\u2019s release.
\nAccording to Jan, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) agrees with PTI and will participate in the long march on September 27.
\nHe also said PTI is in full contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), while other political parties would also join the protest.
\nJan said former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would also be with them, describing him as part of PTI.<\/p>\n
\u2018September 27 would not be a one-day event\u2019
\nA 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.
\nThe chief minister said the decision to announce the long march was taken after consultations with PTI and TTAP leaders.
\nAsked 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018No other option\u2019 Shafi Jan says PTI to begin march on Sept 27, with ultimate goal of Imran Khan\u2019s release Peshawar 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\u2019s release, announcing that it will head […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n