ISLAMABAD – Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made explosive allegations ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s much-touted October 4 Long March, saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and some groups prepared strategy to create violent unrest around military and police installations.
In a detailed post on X, Minister alleged that KP led provincial government planned to use long march to create “Bannu-style” violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and potentially elsewhere in the country. The minister claimed that security and intelligence agencies had received information about the alleged plan in advance.
Asif said the alleged strategy involves using political rallies and demonstrations as cover for creating disturbances around military or police posts and installations.
خیبر پختونخوا کی صوبائی حکومت، جسے اس کی صوبائی قیادت کی مکمل حمایت حاصل ہے، نے صوبہ خیبر پختونخوا بالخصوص اور پاکستان بالعموم میں اپنے آنے والے لانگ مارچ کے ذریعےTTPکے عنصر کے ساتھ مل کے بدامنی اور تشدد پھیلانے کا ایک انتہائی خطرناک اور مذموم منصوبہ تیار کر لیا ہے
اس مذموم…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 2, 2026
Comparing it with events in Bannu in July 2024, he alleged that Gul Bahadur faction of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) first carried out a suicide attack on Bannu Cantonment, killing eight security personnel. Four days later, he claimed, a protest in Bannu involving political and nationalist groups turned violent.
The minister alleged that protesters later moved towards cantonment’s supply depot, where they exploited a damaged section of the wall and began looting, before violence escalated when security forces resisted.
Asif’s warning comes just days after Corps Commanders’ Conference, where Pakistan’s top military leadership said that any attempt to create unrest or replicate a “May 9-like situation” would be dealt with with “decisive force” and in accordance with the rule of law.
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The conference was held as PTI prepared for its planned march and amid political negotiations between the government and opposition.
The military statement did not specifically name PTI or announce that an attack was being planned. It referred generally to attempts to cause agitation, attack state institutions or create circumstances similar to May 9.
In his post, Asif drew a sharp distinction between peaceful political activity and what he described as armed rebellion. He argued that political struggle has established democratic and constitutional traditions in Pakistan and around the world, but claimed that any attempt to conduct an armed uprising under the cover of political activity, allegedly in cooperation with the TTP, would amount to an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The defence minister warned that the state would use “all available resources” in response.
As PTI prepares for its October 4 mobilisation, Imran Khan’s party said its march is intended to press for political and constitutional demands, including the release of party founder Imran Khan and action concerning his treatment and access to medical care.
PTI has not been shown in the reporting reviewed here to have independently confirmed the specific allegations made by Asif about preparations for attacks on security installations.
