PTI Long March Launches Today From Lakki Marwat Toward Islamabad

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) begins its long-delayed long march toward Islamabad today, with the convoy set to depart from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at 1pm under the leadership of provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.

According to the party’s announced schedule, the march will first stop in Karak, move toward Kohat on October 5 and reach Peshawar on October 6, before proceeding to Swabi and then onward to Islamabad. Provincial President Junaid Akbar is expected to lead the Malakand convoy, while groups from Hazara and the tribal districts are scheduled to join the main gathering at Swabi.

PTI says the protest demands the supremacy of the Constitution and law, the restoration of an independent judiciary and media freedom, and the release of party founder Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023. The chief minister has urged supporters to keep the march peaceful and carry no weapons.

The launch follows weeks of escalation: the party postponed an earlier September 27 start, and authorities had blocked major highways into the capital with shipping containers while deploying tens of thousands of security personnel. Afridi also told supporters the party had collected Rs40 million in a single day through a fundraising campaign in Peshawar to support the mobilisation.

In a bid to defuse the confrontation, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a joint government-PPP committee on Thursday to open talks with the PTI leadership on the prevailing political situation. The delegation includes Mohsin Naqvi, Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam for the federal government, and Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Jakhrani for the PPP.

Sources:

• Reuters — Imran Khan’s party postpones planned Islamabad march to October 4
• The News — Afridi puts off long march to Oct 4
• WE News — President, Prime Minister form committee to hold talks with PTI leadership