ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday described the party’s planned Oct. 4 long march as a political and final decision, saying the protest would remain peaceful.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Gohar said the party had no intention of attacking or storming any institution and urged the government not to impose governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“There is no emergency situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Gohar said, adding that the long march was a political activity and a democratic right of the party.
The PTI chairman also said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would remain in office, dismissing speculation about a change in the provincial leadership.
He said lawmakers aspiring to become chief minister should keep their resumes in their pockets, indicating that the party had no plan to replace Afridi. Recent reports also said Gohar had maintained that Afridi continued to have the backing of PTI founder Imran Khan.
Gohar said the PTI had received a letter from its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information secretary, Shaukat Yousafzai, through WhatsApp but described the matter as an internal party issue. He said Yousafzai remained the provincial information secretary and there was no dispute between him and the party.
Yousafzai had urged PTI leadership to further postpone the Oct. 4 march, citing security concerns and the possibility that unrest could be used as a pretext for emergency rule in the province.
Gohar also said the opposition leader and prime minister should meet to discuss political issues. He said his own participation in a proposed meeting would depend on Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
The PTI had earlier postponed its planned march from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4. The party has said the protest will be peaceful, while government officials have raised security and law-and-order concerns surrounding the planned march.