Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has confirmed that the entire PTI political leadership and the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance fully support the planned long march to Islamabad on September 27.
Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk with Hamid Mir, Afridi explained that the date was fixed jointly by the party’s provincial and central leaders along with their allied group. He stated clearly that leadership from every province as well as the central command and the TTAP alliance are all on board with the decision.
The remarks came in response to concerns raised by Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan. She had reportedly questioned why the march was set for September 27 instead of an earlier date. Afridi described Aleema as non-political and said she speaks only as Imran Khan’s sister. He expressed full confidence that he can convince her once he shares the complete facts and figures behind the chosen date.
Afridi also strongly rejected claims circulating among some overseas PTI leaders that the September 27 date was the result of a secret deal. He called such allegations an attempt to mislead the public and urged those making them to contact him first rather than speaking on open platforms.
He specifically dismissed a claim that he had met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and another official on August 4 before announcing the date. Afridi said the allegation was completely baseless. On that day he remained at the KP House in Islamabad from noon until 4:30 pm for meetings related to provincial projects including Pado KP and telemedicine.
A day earlier, PTI leader Shafi Jan, who also serves as an aide to the KP chief minister, said the party has no other option left. He announced that the long march will start from Peshawar with two million people and will move toward Islamabad with the ultimate goal of securing Imran Khan’s release. Jan noted that workers are protesting because no one is listening to them and described the march as their last option.
Imran Khan, 73, has been in prison since August 2023. His party maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated. While some convictions have been suspended or overturned, several appeals are still pending.
