PTI announces march on Islamabad for September 27 — The Express Tribune
In Pakistan, Junaid Akbar, president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chapter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, announced a march to Islamabad planned for September 27. Speaking in Peshawar, he warned the authorities against using force against the participants and said that this time party members would “not simply collect bodies and return.”
According to The Express Tribune, Akbar said PTI supporters would move towards the capital via several routes, including the motorway and Grand Trunk Road. According to him, some participants are to arrive from the Margalla Hills, while others will come from Dera Ismail Khan. He also urged residents of Islamabad and neighboring areas to join the march.
Calls for mobilization
The leader of the PTI regional chapter called on residents of Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Faisalabad to mobilize in their cities. He also called for Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta and Karachi to be shut down on the day of the action. Akbar claimed that during previous protests, thousands of party members had been detained in different provinces and participants had sustained injuries.
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Akbar said the party had failed to find a way out of its differences and urged supporters to decide whether they were ready to “die or create a new Pakistan.” At the same time, he stated that PTI does not want the state to be weakened or hatred to intensify, and that it respects state institutions despite differences with their leaders. He also raised the issue of funding the mobilization and said participants would walk to Islamabad if transport was not provided for them.
Government response
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry called the PTI plan a “conspiracy” and said the authorities would not allow illegal actions or actions that threaten people's lives. He claimed that the plan envisages deaths, attacks and violence; he also mentioned the events of May 9 and November 26.
Chaudhry stressed that the right to protest does not mean the right to attack. According to him, peaceful participants arriving in Islamabad will be provided with protection and necessary conditions, but the authorities will act in accordance with the law and the decision of the Islamabad High Court. The minister added that the capital hosts foreign embassies, international institutions, major companies and important government offices, therefore actions that could threaten people or disrupt the city's normal life will not be tolerated.
