Peshawar/Lakki Marwat/DI Khan, October 4, 2026: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday launched the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat, saying the party would not accept any policy it considered contrary to the interests of the province and Pashtuns.
Afridi arrived in Lakki Marwat by helicopter to lead the march, which has been called to demand the release of jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Addressing thousands of participants at Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Indus Highway, Afridi urged people to come out for what he described as a struggle for Pakistan.
He said Imran Khan, his wife and sisters were in prison and urged participants to demonstrate that they were the “true owners” of the country.
Afridi said the PTI negotiating committee had travelled to Islamabad to reduce political tensions, but those making decisions behind closed doors had “sabotaged” the talks.
“They wanted their will to prevail in KP, but I declared that only Imran Khan’s vision and policies would be implemented here,” he said.
“We do not accept any policy that is not in the interest of the people of KP and the Pashtuns.”
The chief minister said PTI leaders were not “yes-men” but “soldiers of Imran Khan” who would continue to pursue his policies.
Afridi repeatedly asked the participants whether they supported a military operation and urged those opposed to it to raise their hands.
He questioned the government’s approach to terrorism, asking why militancy had persisted for 22 years.
The chief minister claimed that KP had enjoyed peace during Imran Khan’s government because of its policies, but alleged that terrorists were resettled in the province following what he called a “regime change operation”.
“We will eradicate terrorism, and if our policy is implemented, we will restore peace within 100 days,” he claimed.
Afridi said the march would eventually conclude at another major intersection in Islamabad, prompting the crowd to chant “D-Chowk”.
He said the first leg of the march would proceed from Gandi Chowk to Karak.
PTI workers began gathering at Gandi Chowk on Sunday afternoon, with a heavy police contingent deployed at the site along with armoured personnel carriers and bomb disposal squads.
A special helipad was prepared near Maidadkhel for the chief minister, while videos shared on social media showed PTI workers gathered around the site as Afridi arrived.
Another video posted by the PTI on X showed Afridi’s convoy surrounded by a large number of party workers and supporters.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised Afridi for using a “state helicopter for a political march”.
He described the use of the helicopter as a violation of Islamabad High Court orders directing provincial governments to ensure that government resources and machinery were not used to facilitate political marches or gatherings.
“Terrorism is spreading in the province and Nero is playing his flute,” Tarar wrote on X.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also termed the use of the helicopter a violation of the IHC order.
“When the chief minister himself does not uphold the court’s orders and uses state resources for political activities, what expectation can there be for his workers to abide by the law?” Kundi said.
Special Assistant to the KP Chief Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Tariq Saad said the march would remain peaceful and that convoys from the province’s southern districts would join it.
He said workers from Bannu, DI Khan, Tank, North Waziristan and South Waziristan would gather at Gandi Chowk.
He added that workers unable to join because of curfews or law-and-order restrictions would join the march on its route towards Peshawar.
Earlier, former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur led a convoy of PTI workers and supporters from Dera Ismail Khan towards Lakki Marwat.
Gandapur said the convoy would pass through Yarik and Pezu before reaching Gandi Chowk.
Before departing, he urged participants to keep the protest peaceful, maintain discipline and avoid violence, vandalism or confrontation with law enforcement personnel.
He said the party would follow a “live and let live” policy and directed workers not to take the law into their own hands.
“Those who block roads or engage in confrontation are not our workers,” Gandapur said.
He described the march as part of PTI’s political struggle for the release of Imran Khan and said the party would continue its “peaceful political struggle”.
Under the plan announced by Afridi, supporters from Tank, DI Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Bannu will join the march at Gandi Chowk on October 4.
The caravan will spend the night near Karak before departing at 12:30pm on October 5 for Kohat, where it will stay overnight.
On October 6, participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai will join the convoy at noon before it moves towards Peshawar and spends the night near Mattani.
The caravan will leave Budh Bair in Peshawar on the afternoon of October 7. Participants from other Peshawar constituencies will join at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza before the convoy proceeds towards Charsadda Interchange.
The march will leave Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm on October 8 after participants from Charsadda and Mohmand join.
Afridi said people from across KP would gather at Khairabad on October 8, where the next phase of the march would be announced.
Ahead of the march, restrictions under Section 144 have been imposed in several KP districts over security and public safety concerns.
In DI Khan, movement of individuals and all types of traffic along specified roads and routes has been prohibited from 6am to 6pm from October 4 to October 6.
In Upper South Waziristan, Section 144 has been imposed from October 3 to October 5, restricting the movement of cargo vehicles, rickshaws and dumpers amid concerns over possible vehicle-borne explosive threats.
In Lower South Waziristan, restrictions will remain in place from October 1 to October 10, covering various cargo and loader vehicles in Wana and Azam Warsak.
In Tank, restrictions on the movement of people and traffic along specified routes have been imposed from 9pm on October 3 until noon on October 5.
In Hangu, Section 144 restrictions will remain in force from October 3 to October 6, covering six routes, including Hangu-Kohat, Hangu-Thall, Hangu Bypass and Hangu-Sumari roads.
The restrictions do not apply to law enforcement agencies and emergency services, while exemptions may be granted by the district police officer or security forces.
The PTI had initially announced the long march for September 27 but postponed it until October 4. The march is the latest escalation in the political standoff between the federal government and the PTI following the collapse of weekend negotiations.
Federal ministers have warned that protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad, while the government has also raised the possibility of imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in KP over the province’s security situation and the protest call.
