Govt Says Protesters Will Not Be Allowed to Enter Islamabad
PTI’s long march towards Islamabad had earlier been widely reported for September 27, but Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday denied that he had formally announced that date. The protest march is now scheduled for October 4.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said the government has taken a policy decision not to allow protesters to enter Islamabad, as tensions continue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over its protest plans.
Speaking on Geo News programme Jirga, Sanaullah said the government had decided to “permanently put an end to the spectacle of protests in Islamabad”.
He said it was now a policy decision that no group would be allowed to enter the federal capital for the purpose of holding protests.
Sanaullah said a message had been conveyed to PTI that if force was used during its protest campaign, the concessions and relief it had received since the May 9, 2023 unrest would come to an end.
His remarks came after PTI suspended its planned long march.
PTI’s long march towards Islamabad had earlier been widely reported for September 27, but Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday denied that he had formally announced that date. The protest march is now scheduled for October 4, as the party prepares for its planned mobilisation towards the federal capital amid heightened political tensions.
Reacting to the decision, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised PTI for backing away from the march and challenged the party to proceed with its protest.
Tarar also accused PTI of facilitating terrorist groups and alleged that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was facilitating the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He further claimed that PTI was the “B-team of the TTP” and “C-team of the Afghan Taliban”, while making allegations against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over links with proscribed groups and illegal mining. PTI’s response to these allegations was not included in the remarks provided.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking to journalists in New York, said PTI leaders had compared Islamabad with the Somnath temple and claimed that their planned push towards the capital would be their “last attempt”.
Asif said that after this attempt, PTI would not be in a position to undertake a similar march towards Islamabad again.
