KP Information Minister Says PTI Long March Will Reach Islamabad in October or November
KARACHI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march will reach Islamabad in October or November and that participants will not return until their demands are accepted.
Speaking on a private television programme, Shafi Jan said the long march would take three to four days to reach Islamabad. He said the matter could extend from October into November, but the decision to hold the long march was final and its date would not be changed.
He said KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would depart from Peshawar on September 27 to lead the march.
Shafi Jan claimed that more than two million people would participate in the long march and challenged the government to make arrangements to stop them.
“Stopping us will not be within their capacity,” he said, adding that 3,000 containers had already reached Islamabad. He alleged that the government had effectively closed Islamabad by placing thousands of containers on roads.
The KP information minister said that if two million people participated, it could take around four days for the march to reach Islamabad. He reiterated that the protest could continue into November and that the participants would not return until their demands were accepted.
Speaking on the programme *Sawal Yeh Hai*, Shafi Jan said there was a need to consider why the PTI march was taking place and how the situation had reached this point.
He alleged that PTI founder Imran Khan was not being provided his basic rights and that threats were being issued against the party and its members, including warnings that force could be used.
According to Shafi Jan, negotiations had taken place in the past, but he claimed the government had repeatedly created problems. He also criticised the placement of 3,000 containers in Islamabad.
Responding to a question, the KP information minister said the provincial government’s machinery would not be used in the march. He said Sohail Afridi would travel on a container prepared through party funds, carrying the words “Freedom or Martyrdom” on it.
