Changing long march date weakened PTI, says former KP CM Gandapur

• Gandapur says party had no special preparations for long march.
• “Ministers, workers being picked up due to absent CM’s writ.”
• Gandapur says he reached Islamabad three times despite resistance.

Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Monday said that changing the long march date had weakened the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying the party had no particular preparations in place for the march.

Speaking to Truth Wire, Gandapur said the postponement had hurt the party’s momentum, adding that increased pressure on the federal government would eventually force it to accept PTI’s demands.

He said provincial ministers, assembly members and workers were being picked up due to the absence of a strong chief ministerial writ in the province.

He added that he had managed to reach Islamabad three times during protests despite obstacles and resistance.

Gandapur said he had left the chief ministership on the PTI founder Imran Khan’s orders and could return to the position if instructed to do so. He said negotiating with the government was the job of decision-makers, not his.

He added that he had held cordial talks with current KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying they were members of the same party and Pashtuns who valued their guests.

The remarks came after KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that PTI’s long march, originally scheduled for September 27, had been postponed to October 4.

In a statement, Afridi said the march would depart from Peshawar on October 4, adding that TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas had been informed of the political committee’s unanimous decision to postpone.

PTI is preparing for a major protest and march on Islamabad, demanding the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan and what the party describes as the restoration of constitutional supremacy.