The PTI has sent out mixed signals about its planned Sept 27 march on Islamabad. One senior leader hinted the party could step back under certain conditions. However, the official spokesperson quickly dismissed any such proposal.
Advocate Naeem Haider Panjutha told Dawn that three government assurances could delay the PTI protest march. First, he wants free, fair and transparent elections within six to eight months. Panjutha also demanded a clear guarantee that polls would take place before the current financial year ends.
Moreover, he called for the release of Imran Khan and all other political prisoners. The release, he insisted, must come through the courts rather than any deal or political settlement. Notably, he described every case against the party chief as weak.
His third demand is a judicial inquiry into the events of May 9 and November 26. If the government ignores these points, he warned, the PTI will arrive with no compromise and no retreat. Still, it remains unclear where the proposal originally came from.
Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram offered a very different account. He said the PTI shared these conditions with the government after the D-Chowk incident. The government did not respond positively, so Imran Khan ordered their withdrawal. Therefore, Akram said the march will go ahead come what may.
He added that only Imran Khan can decide to postpone it, even if a concrete offer arrives. Furthermore, the party would first demand a meeting with its jailed leader before considering any deal. Akram also argued the PTI cannot announce a delay while, in his words, its ministers face abductions.
Meanwhile, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan met Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar joined the meeting in the opposition chamber of the Senate. According to a TTAP statement, they discussed the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and growing threats to provincial autonomy. They also reviewed preparations and strategy for the PTI protest march in the coming days.
Separately, the federal government has approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several Punjab districts from Sept 20 to Oct 5. The interior ministry issued the notification after requests from the Islamabad chief commissioner and the Punjab Home Department. The order cites the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959, and the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
Additionally, it allows troops to respond appropriately in self-defence to any threats or violent activity. The Punjab government has also asked the interior ministry to downgrade or jam mobile and internet services in parts of Rawalpindi and Attock on Sept 27. Finally, all eyes now turn to Imran Khan, whose decision will shape what happens next.
