Peshawar, September 21, 2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said on Monday that contacts with relevant authorities at the federal level had been ongoing since Sunday night, with the party conveying its concerns over the recent arrests.
Speaking to the media in Peshawar, Gohar said the PTI had urged the authorities to refrain from measures that could further escalate tensions, particularly those involving members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s family and party leaders.
He warned that further arrests could aggravate the situation and called for efforts to prevent tensions from escalating.
The remarks came as the PTI continued preparations for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad on September 27. The party has said the protest will demand the release of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, and the supremacy of the Constitution.
The PTI has maintained that it will proceed with the planned mobilisation, with preparations continuing in different parts of the country.
Meanwhile, after Aleema Khan, Imran Khan’s sisters Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan were also detained and transferred to Kot Lakhpat Jail for 30 days.
A petition has been filed before the Lahore High Court challenging Aleema Khan’s detention.
Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government would adopt a permanent strategy to deal with the planned march, warning that the country could not be allowed to remain shut for 10 to 20 days because of demonstrations.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said the government would take measures “once and for all” to prevent a recurrence of such situations.
The Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) condemned Aleema Khan’s arrest and alleged that Imran Khan and members of his family were being subjected to political retaliation.
In a statement, the alliance also condemned the arrests of parliamentarians, political workers and citizens, as well as the placement of containers on highways to restrict movement.
The TTAP said peaceful political activity should not be met with arrests and restrictions, arguing that such measures could further strain the political environment.
Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said dialogue remained the way forward for addressing the current political crisis.
He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to constitute a committee comprising political figures and proposed that empowered negotiating teams from the government and opposition engage in talks to find a solution.
Raja Nasir said the opposition remained willing to negotiate, provided the talks were meaningful and involved representatives with authority to make decisions.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reiterated the PTI’s commitment to the planned long march, saying the party would exercise what he described as its democratic right to protest peacefully.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Barrister Gohar and PTI leader Asad Qaiser, Afridi said the party had avoided major marches and adhered to peaceful political activity over the past two years, but claimed that PTI leaders and workers continued to face “state repression”.
He also alleged that party leaders were repeatedly being denied access to Imran Khan despite court orders.
“We do not enter through backdoor channels; we are representatives of the public and believe in democracy,” Afridi said.
