PESHAWAR – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march taken new turn, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announcing change in protest route as party’s convoy pushes ahead with campaign demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan.
Instead of proceeding directly towards Peshawar under earlier plan, the march is set to make stop in Khyber first on request from residents of area to host the protesters. The convoy will then move towards Peshawar.
Addressing charged PTI supporters at University Chowk in Kohat, Afridi said the original schedule had envisaged a direct move towards Peshawar, but the route was altered after people in Khyber asked the protesters to visit the area. “The plan has been changed slightly because the people of Khyber are asking us to come there so that they can host our guests. Tomorrow we will go to Khyber, and after that we will go to Peshawar.”
The announcement adds another twist to a march that has already seen its schedule and route evolve since its launch from Lakki Marwat on October 4.
Afridi urged PTI workers not to rush or lose their energy, likening the ongoing political confrontation to a cricket Test match. “We are playing a Test match. There are still many overs left, and many players are still to come. We will play calmly.”
The shows PTI leadership’s apparent strategy of sustaining the mobilisation rather than seeking an immediate confrontation. Afridi had earlier told supporters that the struggle would be prolonged and require endurance, saying that a new phase of the movement would begin after October 8.
The march began from Lakki Marwat on October 4. The convoy moved through Karak and reached Kohat, where protesters stayed overnight. On October 6, Afridi’s convoy resumed its journey, with the march heading towards the outskirts of provincial capital.
The route announced by PTI continued to change, with participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai expected to join the procession. The march is ultimately moving towards Khairabad, near the KP-Punjab boundary, where Afridi is expected to announce the next phase of the protest on October 8.
CM Afridi says the key demands of long march include medical treatment for Imran Khan, access for his family and lawyers to meet him, and his release “in accordance with justice.” PTI maintains that it pursued constitutional, legal and democratic avenues before turning to street mobilisation.
The march comes after talks between the federal government and PTI failed to break a political deadlock. The two sides reportedly disagreed over several issues, including the government’s counterterrorism policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and arrangements concerning Imran Khan.
The march is unfolding amid heightened tensions between the PTI-led KP government and the federal administration. The federal government has warned against gatherings in Islamabad, while authorities have taken security measures and placed barriers on routes in anticipation of possible protests.
The political temperature has risen further as government officials and PTI leaders have exchanged accusations over security, terrorism and the direction of the KP government. Afridi repeatedly rejected what he describes as policies imposed against the interests of the province and has criticised federal counterterrorism measures.
Despite increasingly charged political atmosphere, KP chief minister urged PTI workers to remain peaceful and avoid provocation. He stressed that the purpose of the march is to register a protest and that participants should not become involved in violence, damage to public property or other provocative activity.
Former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur also stressed the need for restraint after road blockades affected his convoy, urging workers not to damage public property or worsen the law-and-order situation.
