Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has announced plans to march to D-Chowk in Islamabad on Tuesday, coinciding with Pakistan’s hosting of a heads-of-government gathering for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
“The government is forcing us to take this action [protest at D-Chowk] due to the uncertainty surrounding our leader [Imran Khan],” he stated to reporters in the corridor of the KP CM House in Peshawar on Monday.
Gandapur’s remarks came as Pakistani and Chinese leaders gathered in the federal capital to sign various memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
The protest is part of a broader strategy to demand the release of the party’s detained founder Imran Khan, as party leaders emphasise that demonstrations will continue until their demands are met.
Sources within PTI revealed that the party leadership has instructed workers from different cities to join the protest at D-Chowk. The leadership has made it clear that the protest will not end until the PTI founder is released from custody.
According to insiders, the organisational responsibility for the protest has been divided between key leaders. Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid has been tasked with overseeing the overall protest, while Hammad Azhar, a senior party figure, has been given the responsibility of mobilizing supporters from Punjab.
