The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has said its planned October 4 protest march will proceed as scheduled, with party leaders maintaining that preparations for the demonstration have been completed.
PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai said in a statement that the procession from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s southern districts would be led by the chief minister, while the march from Malakand Division would be headed by PTI provincial president and MNA Junaid Akbar Khan.
According to Yousafzai, caravans from the southern districts, Peshawar, Malakand and Hazara would converge in Swabi before proceeding towards Islamabad. He said a lack of resources would not affect preparations for the march.
Yousafzai said the PTI’s final destination remained Islamabad, adding that the party had completed arrangements for the protest.
He also discussed ongoing government-opposition negotiations, saying their progress would depend on the government’s approach. He said the PTI had demanded access to incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, his transfer to a hospital and expedited hearings in his cases.
Describing PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as a mature and conciliatory leader, Yousafzai said he hoped the negotiations would lead to a way forward.
He termed the initial round of government-opposition talks “encouraging”, saying both sides had presented their positions during Friday’s meeting.
On the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Yousafzai said imposing governor’s rule would not resolve the province’s problems and could further complicate the situation.
He said calls for governor’s rule or an emergency were coming from non-political quarters and urged the government to allow an immediate meeting between PTI leaders and Imran Khan if it wanted to ease tensions.
