Sher Afzal Marwat Criticises PTI Leadership, Claims September 27 Protest May Not Take Place

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat has criticised the party’s leadership, claiming that neither September 27 will arrive as an effective protest date nor will the planned protest take place, alleging that the current leadership lacks the ability to organise an effective movement and mobilise the public.

In a statement, Marwat called on the PTI leadership to entrust him with responsibility for organising protests, saying he could mobilise people across the country.

He urged the party leadership to take practical steps instead of repeatedly keeping people waiting for announced protest dates. “Do not keep people chasing dates without taking practical action,” he said.

Calls for Responsibility for Protest Movement

Marwat said that if he were given responsibility for organising the protest again, he would mobilise people from across Pakistan. He claimed the current leadership was neither capable of conducting an effective protest nor of bringing large numbers of people onto the streets.

He also said that Imran Khan had made his own decisions and that some of those decisions had contributed to his current situation.

Supports Creation of New Provinces

The PTI lawmaker also called for changes to Pakistan’s administrative structure and advocated the creation of new provinces.

He said ordinary citizens often had to travel to Peshawar or Lahore for routine administrative matters, resulting in the loss of an entire day. He argued that new provinces, including Saraikistan and Hazara, were necessary to bring administration closer to the people and provide underdeveloped regions with greater opportunities for growth.

Links Development With Countering Militancy

Marwat said that if development remained concentrated in cities such as Lahore and Peshawar, deprivation and problems would persist in other parts of the country, potentially contributing to issues such as terrorism.

He argued that establishing new provinces would not require extraordinary expenditure because revenue generated within a province could subsequently be spent on the development of that region.

Cites Multan’s Development

Referring to Multan, Marwat said the city had fallen behind other major urban centres in terms of development.

He compared it with Sialkot, saying the latter had made significant progress because of its trade and business activities, while Multan had yet to realise its full potential.

He described Multan as an important geographical centre for all four provinces and said political workers and parties had a responsibility to work for the region’s development and the establishment of a new province.

Refers to Previous Statement by Imran Khan

Marwat claimed that Imran Khan had said in the past that, if he secured a two-thirds majority, efforts would be made to grant provincial status to every division in the country.

He also supported the creation of additional provinces in Sindh, saying areas including Karachi and Hyderabad required greater administrative attention.