Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shafi Jan said the party has no option left but to launch a long march with the ultimate goal of securing party founder Imran Khan’s release, announcing that it will head from Peshawar to Islamabad with two million people.
Speaking on the Geo News program “Naya Pakistan,” Jan said PTI workers are protesting because “nobody is listening to us,” calling the long march their “last option.” “We will leave Peshawar with two million people,” he said, adding that the march’s impact would be felt across the country.
Jan’s remarks contrasted with those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who said the purpose of the march would not be Imran’s release but access to the party founder. ” Imran Khan’s release would take place in accordance with the Constitution and law, while the immediate objective of the march is to secure access to him,” Afridi told Naya Pakistan a day earlier.
Imran, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party describe as politically motivated. Since his ouster in April 2022 through a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple legal cases, including allegations relating to state gifts and an unlawful marriage case. While some convictions have been suspended or overturned, several appeals remain pending before higher courts, and Imran and his party continue to deny all wrongdoing.
Jan stressed that the party would stage a peaceful protest within the framework of the law and Constitution. He said Imran’s sisters had not been allowed to meet him, claiming meetings with the former prime minister had been stopped for the past nine months. “The meetings with the PTI founder will have to be restored,” he said.
Jan said the party had announced the long march because there was no other way forward, calling on all PTI workers to unite by September 27 in pursuit of Imran’s release. According to Jan, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan agrees with PTI and will participate in the September 27 march. He also said PTI remains in full contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, with other political parties expected to join the protest as well. Jan said former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would also take part, describing him as part of PTI.
‘September 27 Would Not Be a One-Day Event’
A day earlier, Afridi said he himself would lead the September 27 long march, adding that it would not be a one-day event and that protesters would not return home after reaching Islamabad. The chief minister said the decision to announce the march was taken after consultations with PTI and TTAP leaders. Asked why September 27 had been chosen despite being roughly a month and a half away, Afridi said the timing would provide suitable weather conditions and sufficient time for preparations.
