Khawaja Asif calls PTI's Islamabad march its 'last attempt'

Speaking in an interview in New York, where he is part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s delegation attending the United Nations General Assembly session, Khawaja Asif said PTI leaders were comparing Islamabad with Somnath. He questioned whether the party had similar intentions, stressing that Islamabad was the capital of a major Islamic and nuclear state.

He said that, if Allah willed, the September 27 move would be PTI’s last attempt and that the situation would be a decisive confrontation. PTI has announced a march on Islamabad for September 27, while federal ministers have stated that the party would not be allowed to enter the capital.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said that if the government tries to stop the protest, the youth would respond forcefully. PTI MNA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar had also said recently that if the government attempted to suppress the protest, the party would not remain silent and would turn Islamabad into Somnath.

Khawaja Asif said it was also possible that PTI supporters might not come to Islamabad, adding that this too would be a decisive development. He said neither the federation nor Pakistan could afford such situations anymore.

Meanwhile, former PTI leader Fauzia Kasuri said anyone talking about attacking Islamabad in the name of protest was not a friend of Pakistan. She said such people should be sent across the border to Afghanistan.

Kasuri said differences in political ideology could not justify launching propaganda against the state and armed forces. She urged PTI to hold protests if it wanted to, but said the party should present policies and demonstrate them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it governs.