Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a stark warning ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned Islamabad march on September 27, calling it the party’s “last attempt” to reach the federal capital in this fashion. He said PTI would not have another chance to organize a similar push toward Islamabad once this one plays out.
Asif made the remarks during an interview conducted in New York, where he is accompanying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as part of Pakistan’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly session. He noted that PTI leaders had been drawing comparisons between Islamabad and Somnath, a reference he found troubling.
He asked pointedly whether the party harbored comparable intentions toward the capital, reminding listeners that Islamabad is the seat of government for a major Islamic nation that also holds nuclear capability. Asif added that, God willing, the September 27 demonstration would mark PTI’s final such attempt and that the coming days would bring a decisive reckoning.
Government Braces for the September 27 Protest
PTI has confirmed it will proceed with its march on Islamabad on September 27, even as federal ministers have made clear the party will not be permitted to enter the capital. The standoff has raised the stakes considerably as both sides dig in.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi weighed in as well, warning that if authorities attempt to block the demonstration, young supporters would push back forcefully. Separately, PTI MNA and provincial party president Junaid Akbar had earlier cautioned that any government crackdown would not be met with silence, and that Islamabad could end up resembling Somnath as a result.
Asif also floated another possibility: that PTI’s supporters might simply fail to show up in Islamabad at all. He argued that outcome, too, would carry decisive weight, stressing that neither the federation nor the country as a whole could continue absorbing this level of political brinkmanship.
Former PTI Leader Fauzia Kasuri Distances Herself From Protest Rhetoric
Fauzia Kasuri, once a senior PTI figure, pushed back sharply against talk of targeting Islamabad under the guise of protest. She said anyone advocating such action could not be considered a friend of Pakistan, and suggested those making such threats should instead be sent across the border into Afghanistan.
Kasuri argued that political disagreements, however deep, do not justify campaigns of propaganda against the state or its armed forces. She encouraged PTI to continue holding protests if it wished, but urged the party to instead showcase its governance record and policy achievements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province where it currently holds power.
