By Our CorrespondentĀ
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has stepped up preparations for its planned Sept. 27 protest in Islamabad, assigning mobilisation and fundraising responsibilities to lawmakers and party organisations across Punjab, according to party sources.
The partyās political committee has directed Punjab office-bearers and elected representatives to complete arrangements for the demonstration and ensure the participation of workers from their respective areas.
Sources said lawmakers had been asked to arrange Rs500,000 each for expenses associated with the protest preparations. The reported directive is part of PTIās broader effort to organise transportation and other logistical requirements for supporters.
A province-wide mobilisation plan has also been prepared under which party workers from different regions of Punjab could assemble at separate locations before further movement towards Islamabad.
According to PTI sources, lawmakers, leaders and workers from 10 districts of central Punjab have been instructed to gather in Lahore.
The party leadership is expected to assess the situation before deciding whether these supporters will demonstrate in Lahore or proceed to Islamabad for the main protest.
Separate arrangements have been outlined for other parts of Punjab.
Sources said lawmakers and workers from some districts would move towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while PTI representatives from southern Punjab have been directed to reach Peshawar with their supporters on Sept. 26, a day before the planned protest.
The strategy indicates that PTI is keeping different mobilisation options open ahead of the demonstration rather than committing all Punjab supporters to a single route.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridiās planned visit to Punjab has also been postponed because of preparations for the protest, according to party sources.
PTI leaders in central Punjab said organisational activities were already under way to mobilise supporters for Sept. 27.
They also alleged that police had begun conducting raids at the homes of some PTI leaders and workers. The allegations could not be independently verified from the information available, and no response from Punjab police was immediately cited.
The final scale and route of the protest are expected to become clearer closer to Sept. 27 as the party assesses political, administrative and security conditions.
PTIās mobilisation strategy places lawmakers at the centre of preparations, making them responsible for activating constituency-level networks and helping arrange resources required for participation.
The decision to use Lahore and Peshawar as potential gathering points could also provide the party leadership with flexibility to modify its strategy if authorities impose restrictions on movement towards the federal capital.
Any protest or movement towards Islamabad would remain subject to applicable laws and administrative and security measures imposed by the relevant authorities.
