Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said postponing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Islamabad long march weakened the party’s momentum.
Speaking to Geo News on Monday, Gandapur said PTI had no special preparations in place for the march before its postponement. He said greater pressure on the federal government could eventually push it toward accepting PTI’s demands.
Gandapur Says Party Faces Pressure
Gandapur claimed that provincial ministers, lawmakers and party workers were being detained because the provincial government lacked a strong writ.
He also said he had reached Islamabad three times during previous protests despite obstacles and resistance.
The former chief minister said he left the KP chief minister’s office on the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan. He added that he could return to the position if Khan instructed him to do so.
Gandapur also said negotiations with the federal government were the responsibility of the party’s decision-makers rather than his own.
PTI Delays Islamabad March
The comments came after current KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that PTI’s long march had been postponed from September 27 to October 4.
Afridi said the decision was unanimously approved by the party’s political committee and described the postponement as part of PTI’s political strategy. The march is scheduled to depart from Peshawar for Islamabad.
Gandapur said he had maintained cordial relations with Afridi and described him as a fellow PTI member.
PTI has said the planned march is linked to demands including the release of Imran Khan and what the party describes as restoration of constitutional supremacy.
