Speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan, Jan claimed that around two million people would participate in the march.
“We will leave Peshawar with two million people,” he said, adding that the impact of the protest would be felt across the country.
Jan said PTI workers had been protesting because “nobody is listening to us” and described the long march as the party’s “last option”.
However, his position differed from that of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who said a day earlier that the immediate objective of the march was not Imran Khan’s release but securing access to the PTI founder.
Afridi said Imran Khan’s release would take place according to the Constitution and law, while the immediate purpose of the march was to ensure that party leaders and family members could meet him.
Imran Khan, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions that he and his party describe as politically motivated.
Since his removal as prime minister through a no-confidence vote in April 2022, Imran has faced several legal cases, including cases relating to state gifts and marriage. Some convictions have been suspended or overturned, while several appeals remain pending before higher courts. Imran and PTI continue to deny wrongdoing.
Jan said the planned protest would remain peaceful and would be held within the framework of the Constitution and law.
He claimed that Imran’s sisters had not been allowed to meet him and that meetings with the former prime minister had been stopped for around nine months.
“The meetings with the PTI founder will have to be restored,” Jan said.
He urged PTI workers to unite ahead of September 27, saying the party had announced the long march because it had no other option.
Jan also claimed that the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) had agreed to participate in the march. He said PTI was in contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and that other political parties could also join the protest.
He added that former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur would also participate, describing him as part of the PTI.
‘March will not be a one-day event’
A day earlier, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said he would personally lead the September 27 long march.
He said the protest would not be a one-day event and that participants would not return after reaching Islamabad.
According to Afridi, the decision was taken after consultations between PTI and TTAP leaders.
Explaining the choice of September 27, the chief minister said the date would provide favourable weather conditions and give the party sufficient time to complete preparations for the march.
