PTI defers long march to October 4

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to postpone its long march, originally scheduled for September 27, to October 4. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi anounced the development during a press conference on Friday “The march will commence on Sunday, October 4, from Peshawar,” he said, adding that the decision was made unanimously during a meeting of the party’s political committee earlier in the day. Earlier, media reports suggested that the march had been deferred till October 5. According to the reports, the decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s political committee held at the Chief Minister House in Peshawar, chaired by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, members of the provincial cabinet and parliamentarians also attended the meeting. It said the committee agreed on October 5 as the new date, but a formal announcement would be made only after taking into confidence Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas. The committee resolved that the long march would go ahead in any case, the sources added. A proposal was also floated during the meeting that the party should avoid committing to a final date and instead keep announcing different dates, in order to sustain pressure on the government. The meeting, however, exposed differences among party leaders over the long march, the sources said. Some PTI leaders complained that the party had not appeared to be actively mobilising for the September 27 march. In response, Achakzai, Raja Nasir Abbas and several leaders of PTI’s Punjab chapter maintained that Chief Minister Afridi had announced the September 27 date without any consultation. Most members from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proposed that the long march be deferred and an all parties conference (APC) be convened in early October instead. The participants also agreed to further strengthen coordination among opposition parties. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said consultations were under way on the imposition of governor’s rule in the province. Talking to the media in Peshawar, Kundi said imposing governor’s rule was not an unconstitutional step, noting that it had been enforced in various provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the past. Commenting on the situation in the province, the governor alleged that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was witnessing corruption, lawlessness and terrorism, adding that the provincial police were the lowest paid in the country. He further alleged that the provincial government wanted to turn the police into a “Tiger Force,” and vowed to stand like a wall against any such move. Regarding the long march, Kundi claimed that PTI had made no preparations and that its workers were seeking a way out. He said party members were voluntarily courting arrest, which showed that the party was backing away from the march. “I feel PTI will announce calling off the long march today or tomorrow,” he said.