Islamabad, September 25, 2026: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership has decided to postpone its planned long march towards Islamabad from September 27 to October 4, according to party sources.
The march, which was being organised to press for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, will now start from Peshawar on October 4. The decision was taken after consultations within the party leadership.
A senior PTI leader told an English language daily that the postponement was aimed at allowing the party to further organise the protest, while the government had already sealed routes and deployed security personnel in and around the federal capital.
The leader said the decision was not linked to Jamaat-i-Islami’s decision to postpone its own protest and insisted that PTI was capable of organising its march independently.
The development came a day after PTI leader Naeem Haider Panjutha said the party could consider postponing the march if the government provided assurances regarding elections within six to eight months, the release of Imran Khan and other political prisoners, and investigations into the May 9 and November 26 crackdowns. PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram, however, had rejected the suggestion, saying no such proposal was under discussion at any party forum.
The government had meanwhile stepped up security preparations ahead of the planned protest. Rangers were authorised for deployment in Islamabad and several Punjab districts, with the deployment order remaining effective until October 5.
Punjab authorities had also imposed restrictions on gatherings, while Section 144 was enforced in Islamabad. The Punjab government additionally requested the interior ministry to consider downgrading or suspending mobile and internet services at specified locations in Rawalpindi and Attock on September 27.
Tarar accuses KP government of failing to maintain law and order
Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government over its handling of law and order and accused it of providing what he described as “full facilitation” to terrorists.
Tarar alleged that the provincial government had failed to take adequate action against militant groups and criticised Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over what he described as the provincial administration’s response to security incidents.
The minister also accused the KP government of having links with militant groups and described it in strongly political terms. These were allegations made by Tarar and were not independently established in the material provided.
Tarar said 2,456 terror attacks had occurred in KP during 2026, resulting in the deaths of 472 police, army, Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel and injuries to more than 1,500 people. These figures were presented by the minister during his press conference.
The postponement follows several days of heightened political and security tensions surrounding the planned march. PTI had previously maintained that the September 27 protest would proceed and that it would remain peaceful.
