Peshawar, August 10, 2026: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership across the country and its allied Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance are on board with the decision to hold a long march to Islamabad on September 27.
Speaking to a private television channel, Afridi said the date had been jointly decided by PTI’s provincial and central leadership along with its political allies.
“All our political leadership, the provincial leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf across all provinces, and central, and along with that the alliance too, Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan — yes, all of them are on board,” he said.
Afridi was responding to concerns reportedly raised by Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, over why the march had been scheduled for September 27 rather than an earlier date.
Describing Aleema Khan as “non-political”, the chief minister said she was speaking in her capacity as Imran Khan’s sister and expressed confidence that he would be able to satisfy her after explaining the reasons and considerations behind the decision.
“Aleema apa is Imran Khan sahib’s sister, and we repeatedly say that she is non-political; she has nothing to do with politics,” Afridi said. “We will, God willing, satisfy her.”
Afridi rejects allegations of secret deal
The KP chief minister also rejected allegations from PTI leaders based overseas that he had agreed to the September 27 date as part of a secret deal.
Afridi said those making such allegations should have contacted him directly before raising the matter publicly.
“This is an attempt to mislead people, and this should not happen,” he said, urging those who were sincere with Imran Khan and PTI to seek clarification before making public allegations.
Responding to a specific claim that he had met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and another official on August 4 before announcing the date of the march, Afridi termed the allegation “completely baseless”.
He said he had been at the KP House in Islamabad from noon until 4:30pm on August 4, attending meetings concerning the province’s Pado KP and telemedicine initiatives.
Asked whether the alleged meeting could have taken place in Peshawar, Afridi again denied the claim, saying he was in Islamabad throughout the relevant period.
“No, I was at the KP House in Islamabad,” he said, describing the allegation as baseless.
PTI calls march its “last option”
The development came a day after PTI leader Shafi Jan said the party had no option left but to launch a long march aimed ultimately at securing the release of Imran Khan.
Jan, who also serves as an aide to the KP chief minister, said the march would begin from Peshawar and involve what he described as two million people.
“We will leave Peshawar with two million people,” he said, adding that the impact of the march would be felt across the country.
He said PTI workers had continued their protests because “nobody is listening to us” and described the planned long march as the party’s “last option”.
Imran Khan, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following a series of convictions that he and PTI have described as politically motivated. Since his removal as prime minister through a no-confidence vote in April 2022, he has faced multiple legal cases, including cases relating to state gifts and an unlawful marriage.
While some of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, several appeals remain pending before higher courts. Imran Khan and PTI continue to deny the allegations against him.
