PTI marchers change route, head to Khyber first

PESHAWAR/KOHAT:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday announced a change in the route of the PTI’s long march, saying it would first head towards Khyber and then proceed to Peshawar.

“We are playing a Test match; there are still many overs and players left. The change in route is part of the PTI’s strategy,” he said while addressing participants of the protest at University Chowk in Kohat on the third day of the march before departing for the next destination.

CM Afridi also referred to the earlier change in the march’s date from September 27 to October 4, saying the authorities had reacted strongly to the postponement and were now concerned about the duration of the protest.

Read: CM Afridi urges PTI workers to join long march as convoy enters Kohat

He said the march would eventually move towards Islamabad when the PTI decided to do so, declaring: “When we say we are going to Islamabad, no one will be able to stop us.”

Afridi vowed to continue the PTI long march, saying all constitutional and legal avenues had been exhausted and the party was now compelled to take to the streets to seek justice for founder Imran Khan. He said the era of what he called “fake, imposed and mandate-stealing rulers” was nearing its end.

Thanking the people of Kohat for their enthusiasm and patriotism, he said PTI workers would not be intimidated by anyone. “My young people, your chief minister is not afraid of anyone, and the youth of my Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are also not afraid of anyone,” he said.

Afridi said the objective was to bring Imran out of prison and make him prime minister again, claiming that the country would witness development and prosperity under his leadership.

He said Pakistan had enjoyed peace between 2018 and 2022, when, according to him, Imran had not compromised the country’s interests.

The chief minister said the seven-point demands of the long march had already been made public on social media and challenged anyone to identify even one demand that was unconstitutional or illegal.

Afridi said demands for Imran’s medical treatment, a meeting with him and his release were in accordance with law and were not unconstitutional. He questioned why courts were not hearing Imran’s cases, claiming that if the cases were heard, the PTI founder would be released within an hour.

The chief minister alleged that Imran was being kept in prison because he had refused to submit to powerful figures in Pakistan and abroad. He also alleged that restrictions had been placed on the former prime minister’s name and image in the national media because of his popularity.

Read More: ‘Absolutely not’: CM Afridi rejects ‘closed-room’ decisions on military operations in K-P

Afridi further expressed concern over reports about Imran’s health and alleged that his health was being “played with”. He warned that the jail administration, prime minister and other relevant officials would be responsible if any harm came to Imran.

He said courts, assemblies and state institutions operated with taxpayers’ money and argued that people therefore had the right to demand justice. “If the courts do not provide justice, the people will seek justice on the streets,” he said.

He said that since becoming the chief minister, he had repeatedly approached the authorities and requested a meeting with Imran. According to Afridi, he had also contacted the prime minister over the matter but was told that the request would be considered, after which no meeting was arranged.

Afridi stated that the K-P Assembly subsequently passed a resolution seeking his meeting with Imran, while he had also approached the chief justice of Pakistan without receiving a response.

He further alleged that even orders of high courts and the Supreme Court concerning access to Imran and his medical treatment had not been implemented.

Afridi also criticised the handling of negotiations, saying PTI had always maintained that political problems should be resolved through dialogue. He alleged that attempts were being made to “trade the blood of Pashtuns” to protect political positions.

On the security situation in K-P, he underlined that successive military operations and drone strikes over the past 22 years had failed to eliminate terrorism, further claiming his government had a policy that could restore peace in the province within 100 days.