• Party will ‘forcefully exercise’ right to protest, scare tactics won’t break their resolve, says CM Afridi
• Gohar claims 1,500 party supporters detained, urges govt to review its approach
• TTAP denounces detention of lawmakers from Islamabad and KP, demands their release

PESHAWAR / ISLAMABAD: As the state swung into action in a bid to deter the opposition party from undertaking its promised protest march on the federal capital, the PTI on Monday vowed to go ahead with its Sept 27 protest, despite the arrest of a number of lawmakers and supporters from different parts of the country.

In a press conference at the Chief Minister House in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the parliamentary committee decided to “forcefully exercise” its right to peaceful protest on Sept 27.

The arrest of Imran Khan’s sisters, firing on cabinet minister Shakeel Khan, and the alleged abduction of Labour Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan were aimed at spoiling the party’s protest, the CM said, adding that such tactics would bolster their movement instead of weakening it.

CM Afridi claimed that plainclothes men had “attacked and abducted” Minister Shakoor. He also mentioned the reported attempt to “kidnap” the provincial minister for communications, Shakeel Khan, in Batkhela.

According to CM Afridi, the PTI has not organised any major protest in the past two years and tried to resolve its issues through assemblies and courts, but to no avail.

The chief minister said court orders regarding Imran Khan’s meetings as well as the Supreme Court order about his treatment at Shifa International Hospital were flouted by the government. The PTI leader said holding a peaceful protest was their right, which was guaranteed by the Constitution, adding that they would announce the details of the protest on Sept 25.

Speaking at the presser, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan urged the authorities to change their approach. Barrister Gohar said 1500 workers had been detained.

“Five of our MNAs have been arrested, along with an ex-senator. Our MPAs have been arrested; one of them was arrested in Islamabad. Even our ministers are being arrested in our own province,” he alleged during a press conference in Peshawar. He said that though the PTI was in power in KP, someone else was calling the shots.

He said PTI was a political force and was not looking for violence and clashes but wanted to resolve its issues politically. He said they have approached the high court 25 times and the apex court 19 times over the past four years, but their pleas were not heard.

The PTI leader said they were not going to attack Islamabad and such statements by the cabinet members reflected an undemocratic mindset. He claimed people were not concerned about the PTI march, but what worried them was the way the government was talking about stopping the protest. Mr Gohar said that no substantial talks with the government had taken place so far. “They must step back, and we will do the same. But when one side tries to impose its will, that cannot work,” he asserted.

Arrests denounced

Meanwhile, the PTI condemned the arrests of its lawmakers from Parliament Lodges and outside the National Assembly in Islamabad, calling for their immediate release. In a statement issued by its Central Media Department, the PTI said reports about the detention of MNAs San­aullah Khan Mastikhel, Dawar Khan Kundi, Ahsan Jamal Khan, Mian Ghaus, and Adil Khan Bazai, as well as Chitral MPA Fatehul Mulk were deeply concerning.

The arrest of elected representatives from Parl­iament Lodges and outside the National Assembly clearly refle­cted the government’s indiscriminate use of state power to suppress political dissent.

Meanwhile, Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan also expressed serious concern over the prevailing political situation in the country, the arrests of political workers, parliamentarians and ordinary citizens, the closure of major roads with containers, and the arrest of sisters of Imran Khan. They urged the government to reconsider its approach, release all detained political workers and citizens, and remove the containers blocking public roads.

Two PTI men sent on physical remand

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad remanded two PTI men in police custody for 10 days in a case registered in connection with the party’s Nov 26 protest. ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain passed the order after police produced them before the court and sought their physical remand for interrogation. The investigating officer requested a 30-day physical remand, arguing that the accused were required to be interrogated in connection with the case registered at the Khanna police station. After hearing the arguments, the court granted 10 days’ physical remand and directed police to produce the accused before the court on completion of the remand period.

Separately, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra ordered five PTI workers arrested in connection with a February 15 protest on Constitution Avenue to be sent to the Adiala jail for an identification parade. The case was registered at the Secretariat police station against PTI workers and supporters allegedly involved in the protest staged by party lawmakers and activists.

In a related proceeding, Judge Sipra ordered Rana Shahbaz, president of the Islamabad Pushcart Vendors Association, to be sent to jail for an identification parade in the same protest case.

Police produced Mr Shahbaz before the court and sought his judicial custody for the identification process.

The court granted a 14-day judicial remand and directed authorities to produce him again on Oct 5 after completion of the parade.

However, Mr Shahbaz’s relatives told the court that he had no affiliation with the PTI and alleged that he was arrested while raising his voice over issues confronting pushcart vendors. The proceedings relate to a case registered with the Secretariat police concerning the PTI’s February protest in Islamabad.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026