ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said that the party’s planned protest on September 27 will go ahead as scheduled, adding that no talks have taken place with the government to postpone the long march.
Speaking to the media at Parliament House, Barrister Gohar said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would lead the September 27 protest.
He said PTI founder Imran Khan had always preferred negotiations and had authorised Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas to hold talks on his behalf.
“Our offer for negotiations was considered a sign of weakness,” Barrister Gohar said, adding that no formal negotiations with the government are currently taking place.
The PTI chairman also confirmed that he remained in contact with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi through backdoor channels.
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“We remain in contact with the government, and this has never been hidden,” he said, adding that details of the backchannel contacts could not be disclosed to the media.
Barrister Gohar maintained that the September 27 protest was not solely a PTI decision, but had been planned in consultation with other political parties. He claimed that all political parties would participate in the protest.
Commenting on a letter received from the prime minister, Barrister Gohar said receiving the letter was a positive development and that the opposition leader was coordinating on the matter.
He also expressed concern over the lack of access to Imran Khan, saying that despite court orders, PTI leaders had been unable to meet the party founder for 10 months.
