Gohar rejects governor’s rule over PTI march

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said the party’s planned October 4 long march towards Islamabad will remain peaceful and political. He urged the federal government to avoid imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House on Wednesday, Gohar said political engagement with PTI founder Imran Khan was the appropriate way to address the ongoing political tensions. He said meetings with Imran and steps to ensure justice could help resolve the situation.

Gohar reiterated that the October 4 march would go ahead as planned. He said the party wanted the protest to remain completely peaceful and maintained that the release of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi would help create space for resolving political issues.

The PTI chairman also defended K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying the march was focused on Islamabad and that Afridi enjoyed the support of both Imran Khan and the party. He said decisions concerning the province would follow Imran’s directions.

K-P Information Minister Shafi Jan separately announced that the march would begin from southern parts of the province on October 4 under Afridi’s leadership.

The planned protest comes amid an escalating dispute between the federal government and the PTI-led K-P administration. Federal ministers have raised concerns over law and order and governance in the province, while PTI leaders have rejected the possibility of governor’s rule and called for political dialogue.

Afridi has also expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as limited participation by some PTI lawmakers in preparations for the march. During a parliamentary party meeting in Peshawar, he urged party members to prepare for the October 4 mobilisation.

The chief minister said the protesters would travel towards Islamabad peacefully and rejected suggestions that the march would involve violent activity.

Meanwhile, PTI K-P President Junaid Akbar directed lawmakers and party leaders currently abroad to return to Pakistan ahead of the march. He warned that those remaining outside the country on October 4 would face consequences within the party.

PTI had initially scheduled the march for September 27 but later postponed it. The Islamabad High Court had directed authorities to prevent the use of state resources for the protest and ordered that roads should not be blocked by political parties or public office holders.

The federal government has repeatedly urged PTI to reconsider the march, stressing that Islamabad could not be paralysed. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier said legal options concerning K-P, including governor’s rule, were being examined, while Information Minister Atta Tarar later said there was no plan to remove the provincial government