PTI’s Salman Akram Raja Warns of Long March, Says Youth Ready as Imran Khan’s Popularity Grows

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Tuesday said the party could launch a long march if needed, claiming that the nation’s youth are ready for protest, just as people once mobilized for freedom from British rule.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital alongside other party leaders, Raja said that any dialogue must be based on principles. “If talks are to be held, they will be held on principles,” he said, adding that the prime minister had indicated willingness to engage in dialogue, including with Mahmood Khan Achakzai, but only on principled grounds.

He said people had yet to realize the power of strikes and mass movements. “Our youth are ready. This system has failed and should accept its defeat. Everything is possible—strikes, long marches. How was freedom from the British achieved?” he asked.

Salman Akram Raja said the coming weeks would be crucial and insisted that the political system must accept Imran Khan’s political victory. “Politics is the name of dialogue, but in our country politics has been turned into something else,” he remarked, adding that PTI was only demanding what it was entitled to under established political norms.

Referring to recent public gatherings, he said Karachi had witnessed massive participation despite restrictions, including the sealing of Bagh-e-Jinnah. He added that when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi took to the streets, a sea of people emerged in support.

Raja claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan is more popular than ever and has shown “historic courage,” adding that the public continues to stand firmly with him.

He also said that the killing of innocent people in Balochistan and Islamabad should not be treated as a spectacle and paid tribute to party leader Junaid Akbar, describing him as a loyal companion and the “heart of the party.”