HANGU: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Saturday said the September 27 long march was a firm and non-negotiable date and would be held as scheduled, declaring that he would personally lead the march towards Islamabad. Addressing participants of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) street movement at Hangu Bazaar Chowk and Abu Bakr Siddique Chowk, the chief minister urged workers to make comprehensive preparations, saying, "This time, there is no turning back.
We will return victorious on September 27." Sohail Afridi criticised what he described as selective enforcement of judicial orders, saying a Supreme Court three-member bench had directed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan be provided treatment at the Shifa International Hospital but the order had not been implemented. He alleged that the government and administration had disregarded the court's directive, undermining the authority of the judiciary.
He questioned why judicial orders against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers were implemented immediately while the order concerning Imran Khan's treatment had not been enforced. "There cannot be one law for the weak and another for the powerful in the same country," he said, urging the judiciary to ensure equal application of the law. The chief minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) struggle for "real freedom" was aimed at ensuring equal treatment for all citizens.
He urged the judiciary to consider the direction in which the country was heading, referring to economic pressures on ordinary citizens, difficulties faced by farmers and the movement of industrial capital abroad. Sohail Afridi described Imran Khan as a symbol of national unity and claimed that he remained the only leader capable of restoring public confidence in state institutions. He urged young people to actively participate in the September 27 long march and said they had to decide the future of the country.
Sohail Afridi also alleged continued repression of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and women, referring to the Muridke incident and claiming that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers had been killed and Imran Khan's sisters had faced mistreatment.