Lahore, September 21, 2026: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to reconsider its planned September 27 long march towards Islamabad, warning that the government would take measures to enforce the law if the protest went ahead.
The PTI is preparing for a nationwide protest and march towards the federal capital to demand the release of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan.
“We have clearly told them that they can never achieve anything through such drama, and I will say again that there is still time; they should not go into this situation,” Naqvi said during a press briefing.
He advised the PTI leadership not to “enter a dead-end street” and said the government would “not leave any loopholes” in its response if the party proceeded with the march.
Naqvi claimed that a majority of the PTI leadership was not in favour of the march. However, he said that if the party went ahead, the government would ensure implementation of an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order issued on September 14.
The court had ruled that political parties or their leadership had no lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and buildings in Islamabad.
“Do not harm yourself and your workers,” Naqvi said, appealing to the PTI to adopt a different approach.
Asked about a long-term strategy to deal with repeated PTI protest calls, the interior minister said the government would seek a “permanent solution” and would not leave the matter unresolved.
Responding to questions about calls for Imran Khan to be shifted to a private healthcare facility, Naqvi said doctors had examined the former prime minister the previous night.
“If they demand that his check-up should be done at a hospital, then we did have one last night,” he said, adding that the government was already meeting that demand.
He said any treatment prescribed for Imran Khan would be provided according to the law, but rejected the suggestion that treatment would be arranged solely on the basis of political demands.
Naqvi again said senior PTI leaders were not in favour of the planned march.
Asked whether the Interior Ministry would fully perform its role during the protests, he said the ministry would “fulfil its role completely” and reiterated that the government intended to resolve the issue “once and for all”.
On the possibility of banning the PTI, Naqvi again referred to the government’s intention to find a permanent solution, saying the country could not afford repeated disruptions.
Regarding the possibility of imposing governor’s rule in PTI-governed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said all available legal options would be considered by the prime minister in consultation with the Law Ministry.
Naqvi, however, ruled out allowing the PTI to enter Islamabad and shut down the city for 10 days.
Speaking to the media in Kohat later in the day, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said no “violent group” would be allowed to enter Islamabad.
Tarar disputed the PTI’s description of its planned protest as peaceful, alleging that previous demonstrations had involved violence against security personnel and damage to public property.
He recalled incidents in which, according to him, Rangers and police personnel were martyred and public property was damaged during PTI demonstrations. He also alleged that protesters had used sticks, nails, glass and slingshots.
Tarar further alleged that PTI demonstrators had damaged a Metro station and set trees on fire during a previous protest in Islamabad.
He also criticised the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government over law and order, questioning the use of additional funds received under the National Finance Commission Award.
Referring to KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent visit to Lahore, Tarar questioned the timing of the trip in the context of the deadly Kohat attack and said greater attention should have been given to the province’s security situation.
He alleged that more than Rs150 billion in additional NFC funds had been received and questioned how the law and order allocation was being utilised.
Tarar said resources should instead have been directed towards police training and technical capabilities as security personnel continued to lose their lives in terrorist attacks.
The information minister had also said on Sunday that the government would not allow any violent group to enter Islamabad or block roads and would enforce the IHC order concerning disruption of public movement.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb separately warned on Sunday that strikes, sit-ins, long marches and road closures could cause an estimated Rs120 billion loss to the economy each day.
