The PTI has called for a nationwide protest, including a “long march” to Islamabad, to demand the release of party founder Imran Khan and mobilise people for the supremacy of the Constitution.

The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance, which Abbas is a key leader of, has assured the PTI of its support for the protest.

A post on Abbas’ X account on Saturday claimed that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had called on him and that the latter was informed only Imran could postpone the September 27 protest.

“No one can minus Imran,” he wrote.

TTAP Spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousufzai, speaking to Dawn, claimed that the meeting was held on September 14 on Naqvi’s request.

He added that Abbas and PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan attended the meeting on the opposition’s side.

Responding to queries after a press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad, Abbas said: “He (Naqvi) came to meet [us]. We have stated our stance and they will find out … that no individual can postpone the September 27 march without a meeting with Imran Khan sahib.”

He asserted, “Imran Khan cannot be minused; we will not let Imran Khan sahib be minused. Therefore, no issue can be resolved without a meeting with Imran Khan sahib.”

During the press conference, Abbas said providing basic facilities to the people and protecting their constitutional rights were major issues. He said that even a senior federal minister had acknowledged that the country’s system had “collapsed”.

TTAP leader and former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair said there was a wide gap between the lifestyle of the ruling elite and the economic difficulties faced by ordinary citizens. He claimed that poverty, unemployment and inflation had increased compared with four and a half years ago. He said electricity prices had risen two to threefold, while people had made sacrifices in the hope that economic conditions would improve.

PTI leader and former KP finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra criticised government spending, questioning the reported purchase of a jet costing Rs10 billion and expenditure on official and private travel. He said every rupee of public money should be accounted for and questioned why relief was not being provided to people facing rising fuel prices.

On Friday, days after the meeting reportedly took place, Naqvi declared that the government would stop anyone from marching towards the federal capital “in every possible way”.

He further warned of contempt of court proceedings against those who violated the recent ruling by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), wherein it termed any activity resulting in infringement of citizens’ fundamental rights as a violation of the Constitution.

“The question is not whether a political party is entitled to protest. It plainly is, subject always to the Constitution and law,” the judgment observed.

KP CM meets Achakzai, Abbas

Abbas’ remarks come after earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi met him and NA Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai to discuss the PTI’s upcoming protest.

In a post on X, TTAP said the KP CM held an “important meeting” with Abbas and Achakzai, who is also the TTAP chairman. Yousafzai was also present on the occasion.

“Detailed political consultations regarding the call for September 27 were held during the meeting, and various aspects of the future course of action, political strategy, and advancing the democratic struggle in an effective manner were discussed,” the statement said.

The politicians consulted on taking forward the protest call as an “effective and organised political struggle for upholding the supremacy of the Constitution, democratic rights, provincial rights, and the protection of the public mandate”.

The trio had also met on Thursday, shortly after CM Afridi concluded his visit to Punjab, where the upcoming protest was among the topics discussed.

As part of the PTI’s preparations, the KP CM toured Sindh and Punjab to mobilise supporters for the protest.

During his visit to the PML-N-led Punjab, Afridi not only alleged he was “abducted” by authorities in Lahore and later “thrown” by the roadside, but also claimed a man was sent to kill him.

The Punjab government had swiftly refuted the claims of arrest, while the Wazirabad police clarified that the man accused by Afridi was a police constable deployed on security duty for the KP CM.

The administrations of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad had already begun preparations last week to counter the PTI’s announced march to the capital, including a request for the detention of activists, arranging containers, seeking additional personnel and procuring anti-riot gear.

The certificate is an official document that verifies that a pensioner is alive.

Giving a breakdown of the facility’s usage, Nadra said 174,906 pensioners (52 per cent) obtained the certificate through the Pak ID app from home, 134,521 (40pc) through Nadra Registration Centres, 24,248 (7pc) through e-Sahulat centres and 3,585 (1pc) through mobile registration vans.

Pensioners can obtain the certificate online or at the nearest Nadra service channel, according to their convenience, for proof of life, it added.

Nadra noted that certain elements were deliberately misleading pensioners and urged them not to pay heed to such rumours. Pensioners were urged to contact the Nadra helpline, their nearest Nadra office or an e-Sahulat centre in case of complaints.

It added that if a CNIC number was not included in the list of pensioners, the relevant department should be contacted.

On August 20, Nadra had made the Proof of Life Certificate free for pensioners and expanded access to the document through multiple channels across the country.

The initiative was launched on the special directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and Military Accountant General (MAG).

According to Nadra, the easiest option to obtain the certificate was through the PakID mobile application, through which eligible pensioners could obtain the certificate digitally from home.

An immediate family member could also obtain the certificate on a pensioner’s behalf through their own PakID account, subject to the prescribed identity verification process.

For those preferring assisted services, the certificate could be obtained free of charge at more than 5,000 e-Sahulat franchises and over 988 Nadra Registration Centres and 500 Union Councils, where pensioners are given preferential service without having to wait in the regular queue.

For pensioners unable to reach a service point, Nadra said the facility was also available through mobile registration vans, biker services and ManPack registration services, which cater to citizens with limited mobility or access.

The Proof of Life certificate service is part of a wider reform under which Nadra has established a National Pensioners Register. In Phase I, pensioners administered by CGA and MAG have been brought onto the register to provide an authenticated digital reference for identity and life-status verification.

A separate verification service was made available to banks, allowing authorised banks to check a pensioner’s proof-of-life status directly through the National Pensioners Register. Nadra said this would provide a digital channel for pension disbursement and reduce reliance on repeated physical or paper-based verification.

The authority expected the register to be expanded in the next phase to include pensioners from other federal and provincial government organisations, public-sector bodies and private institutions, after agreements and institutional arrangements had been concluded.