KP CM announces postponement of PTI's long march to October 4

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned long march towards Islamabad has been postponed until October 4.

In a statement, Afridi said the decision was taken unanimously after consultations in the party’s political committee. He said the march would now depart from Peshawar on October 4.

Afridi said Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas had been informed of the political committee’s unanimous decision.

Criticising the federal government, the chief minister condemned what he described as inappropriate remarks by federal ministers against an elected chief minister.

He questioned the government’s decision to block roads, saying PTI would continue its political struggle through peaceful means.

Afridi alleged that PTI lawmakers were being detained and that routes along the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border had been blocked.

He said the party was peaceful and political, but alleged that the government was seeking to repeat the events of May 9 by registering cases against PTI workers.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Secretary Shaukat Yousafzai denied reports that the party had decided to call off its long march.

Speaking to Geo News, Yousafzai said that no decision had been made to postpone the long march and that PTI’s preparations were complete.

Yousafzai said his party’s planned long march would remain peaceful and that it would not use any government resources during the protest scheduled for September 27.