PTI planning long march after Eid, claims Rana Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah has claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is preparing for a long march after Eid, while describing the party’s February 8 strike as a failure that did not gain traction across the country.

Speaking during the ARY News programme Off The Record, Rana Sanaullah said the strike lacked preparation and failed to bring normal activity to a halt despite calls for a nationwide shutdown. He maintained that the outcome would have political consequences for PTI, arguing that the protest call remained limited to media statements rather than translating into widespread action.

Addressing reports about the incarceration of PTI’s founding chairman, he stated that the government had not offered to relocate him outside prison facilities. However, he said discussions had taken place regarding the possibility of seeking court permission for transfer to a hospital or another location on medical grounds, noting that any decision would ultimately depend on judicial orders because the former premier is a convicted prisoner in court custody.

Rana Sanaullah also commented on the conduct of political discourse, alleging that online abuse had become widespread and was now affecting PTI itself. Referring to a recent meeting between lawyer Salman Safdar and the PTI founder, he said authorities were awaiting the contents of Safdar’s report and would challenge it if it contradicted facts, adding that further verification would follow in such a scenario.

He asserted that available information indicated the PTI founder was in good health and undergoing daily medical check-ups, with food reviewed by doctors before being served. According to him, the inmate has access to television and newspapers and is housed in a six-room cell, while Safdar met him for three hours and likely inspected the facilities.

The adviser added that differences between the government and PTI persisted due to the opposition party’s approach, and reiterated that claims about the February 8 strike’s impact were overstated.