DLP Report
\nPESHAWAR
\nKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan on Thursday said the Sept 27 date announced for the PTI\u2019s long march remained unchanged for now, while reiterating that the party was still committed to negotiations and political dialogue.
\nHe said the door to dialogue remained open, but there would be no change in the schedule unless there was \u201ctangible and credible progress\u201d on the party\u2019s demands.
\nMr 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.
\nHe said the Supreme Court\u2019s decision regarding Mr Khan\u2019s transfer constituted progress on the second demand and called for immediate implementation of the judicial order.
\nThe minister expressed concern over what he described as a delay in implementing the order, saying Mr Khan\u2019s health should not be turned into a political controversy.
\n\u201cNothing is more important than Imran Khan\u2019s health,\u201d he said, adding that the government should have facilitated his transfer on humanitarian and moral grounds.
\nMr 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\u2019s demands were addressed.
\nHe 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.
\nThe minister said whenever PTI\u2019s political activities gained momentum or a date was announced, the government started talking about negotiations.
\n\u201cNegotiations should take place, but they should not be used merely to buy time,\u201d he said, adding that the party wanted serious and workable progress on its demands.
\nMr 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\u2019s planned street movement.
\nHe 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.
\nRejecting 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.
\n\u201cIf a deal had been the objective, Imran Khan would not have spent nearly 1,000 days in detention,\u201d he said.
\nMr 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.
\nHe added that if the order was not implemented, PTI would pursue all available legal remedies, including contempt of court proceedings.
\nThe minister reiterated that the Sept 27 date remained in place for the time being. However, he said any genuine progress on the party\u2019s demands could lead to a review of the future course of action through consultations among the party leadership, allied parties and relevant forums.
\nHe said PTI\u2019s priorities remained the protection of Mr Khan\u2019s health, implementation of the judicial order, adjudication of cases on merit, and upholding the Constitution and rule of law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DLP Report PESHAWAR Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan on Thursday said the Sept 27 date announced for the PTI\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-563001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n