‘If You Want to Stop Sept 27 Long March, Arrange Meeting with Imran Khan,’ Says KP CM

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said that if the government wants to prevent the September 27 long march, it should arrange a meeting between the party leadership and PTI founder Imran Khan.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Geo News senior journalist Hamid Mir, Afridi said that if Imran Khan asked them not to hold the long march, they would immediately call it off.

“If you want to stop the September 27 long march, arrange our meeting with Imran Khan. If Khan Sahib tells us not to hold the long march, we will stop,” he said.

Afridi said Aleema Khan was a non-political person and had no direct involvement in politics, but being Imran Khan’s sister, she was important to the party. He added that if she had any reservations about the date of the long march, the party would try to address them.

The KP chief minister said that if Imran Khan wanted the party to pursue dialogue, they would certainly engage in talks, adding that they could do anything at his direction.

He alleged that the authorities were reluctant to arrange a meeting with Imran Khan because they feared he might instruct the party to proceed with the long march.

In a separate press conference in Islamabad, Afridi expressed concern over Imran Khan’s health and said that the Army chief, prime minister and chief justice would be responsible if anything happened to him.

Calling Imran Khan “Pakistan’s only hope,” Afridi demanded that the PTI founder be allowed to meet his family and personal doctors for a medical examination. He said the family, doctors and party would remain non-political on the issue and guaranteed their cooperation.

Afridi warned that if a meeting with Imran Khan was not arranged, every major intersection across the country would be turned into a “D-Chowk” at 10pm on Thursday.

He claimed that Imran Khan was completely fit and healthy when he was arrested and alleged that his health had deteriorated during his incarceration. He held those responsible for keeping Khan in custody accountable for the alleged deterioration in his health.

The KP chief minister said the September 27 long march call remained unchanged. He added that protest activities were being planned beforehand to press for a meeting with Imran Khan and seek assurances regarding his health.

Afridi said all parliamentarians would gather outside the Supreme Court the following day and stage a sit-in. He demanded that the chief justice issue a decision regarding Imran Khan’s health and allow his family members and personal doctors to meet him and conduct a medical examination.