Shafaqna Pakistan: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced plans for a protest in Islamabad on September 27, with the party’s political committee directing its Punjab office-bearers and lawmakers to finalise preparations and mobilise workers, party sources said.
According to the sources, PTI lawmakers have been asked to contribute Rs500,000 each towards preparations for the demonstration as part of a broader mobilisation drive.
The party has also instructed its organisational network across Punjab to activate workers and prepare for the protest, with plans to be adjusted according to the political and security situation as the date approaches.
PTI sources said workers and lawmakers from 10 districts of central Punjab are expected to gather in Lahore. A subsequent decision will determine whether they hold the protest in the provincial capital or travel to Islamabad.
Party lawmakers and activists from other districts of Punjab are expected to travel to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of the mobilisation plan, sources said.
PTI representatives and workers from southern Punjab have meanwhile been directed to reach Peshawar a day before the planned protest, according to the sources.
The arrangements indicate that the party is preparing different mobilisation routes rather than relying exclusively on direct movement towards the federal capital.
Sources also said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s planned visit to Punjab had been postponed because of preparations for the Sept. 27 protest.
PTI leaders in central Punjab said preparations for the protest were already under way. They also alleged that police were conducting raids on the residences of party workers and leaders.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the alleged raids in the information available, nor was an official response from Punjab police cited.
The planned protest comes as PTI continues efforts to mobilise its supporters through its organisational networks in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The extent of participation and final movement plan are expected to depend on decisions taken by the party leadership as the protest date approaches.
The reported direction to lawmakers to arrange funds is also likely to place greater responsibility on elected representatives for logistical preparations and mobilisation of supporters in their respective constituencies.
The party’s strategy of assembling different groups in Lahore and Peshawar could allow its leadership to adjust its plans according to conditions on the ground.
Any movement towards Islamabad would, however, remain subject to applicable laws, administrative arrangements and decisions by the relevant authorities concerning public gatherings and security.
