‘Carrot and stick’ dangled before PTI ahead of march
• Message conveyed to party that capital protest will not be allowed, come what may • Party cadres remain in the dark, as CM Afridi expected to unveil strategy tomorrow • Insiders say govt has offered to shift Imran, Bushra out of prison, allow meeting with family if march is called off • Minister denies offering any ‘confidence-building measures’ ISLAMABAD: The PTI, which is expected to come out…
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is set to reveal its strategy for the September 27 protest, but it has been informed that the federal government will not permit them to march in Islamabad, Dawn has learned. PTI insiders claim they have received certain confidence-building measures (CBMs) from the government in exchange for not marching, but they have also been warned that their plans could be thwarted if they go ahead with the protest.
The government has reportedly offered to transfer former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife out of prison and allow family members to meet him, but not before September 27, as that could be seen as weakness on the government's part. Transporters have been warned they will face consequences if they provide buses and vans to protesters, causing some companies to refuse PTI's equipment requests.
PTI leaders plan to protest in their respective areas, with workers from North Punjab joining a march led by CM Afridi. The government denies offering any CBMs, stating that the party's claims are one-sided and untrue.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
