ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Sunday warned that people engaging in unlawful or violent acts during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad would face action, while PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar said party workers would reach the federal capital through multiple routes.
PTI has announced a march on Islamabad for September 27, demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan and the supremacy of the Constitution.
“If you are a peaceful citizen, come to Islamabad from any route, come 100 times,” Chaudhry said, while warning that those who arrived “as terrorists” would not be allowed to return.
The state minister said the government would implement the Islamabad High Court’s orders and would not tolerate any unlawful activity.
“No illegal action will be tolerated,” he said, adding that activities posing a threat to life or property would not be permitted in the capital.
Govt warns against violence
Chaudhry also criticised the PTI-led provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, questioning its performance on security, healthcare and education.
He said those planning the Islamabad protest had not been able to adequately address terrorism in the province or provide sufficient health and education facilities.
“They say they will turn Islamabad into ruins. We know they have turned KP into ruins,” Chaudhry said.
He added that the government would not allow such an approach to continue, claiming that statements by PTI leaders had revealed the party’s intentions regarding the planned protest.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also criticised PTI in a post on X while sharing a video of Junaid Akbar. Tarar accused the party of seeking to create “chaos and destruction” and claimed that it did not believe in peaceful protests.
The allegations were made ahead of the planned September 27 demonstration, with the government repeatedly stressing that law and order would be maintained in Islamabad.
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Junaid vows PTI workers will reach Islamabad
Speaking at a workers’ convention in Mardan, Junaid Akbar said PTI workers would travel towards Islamabad using multiple routes.
“We will go to Islamabad, and not through just one route,” he said, adding that workers would use the motorway and the GT Road.
Junaid also said some protesters would approach the capital through the Margalla Hills and from Dera Ismail Khan.
Referring to PTI’s previous protest, he said party workers had returned with the bodies of colleagues who died during the demonstration.
“Last time, we brought our dead bodies with us,” Junaid said, adding that the party had not been in a position to protest at the time.
“This time, it will not happen that we bury our dead and remain silent,” he said.
Junaid also said PTI would turn Islamabad into “ruins,” a statement that came amid warnings from the government that unlawful activity or threats to public safety would not be tolerated.
The competing statements come as preparations intensify for the September 27 PTI protest, while authorities and the party remain at odds over the planned march and its implementation.
