WorldPosted at: Oct 4 2026 9:37PM


Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf begins long march demanding release of Imran Khan

Peshawar, Oct 4 (UNI) The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday launched its long march demanding the release of incarcerated party founder and former premier Imran Khan.
Chief Minister of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Sohail Afridi reached Lakki Marwat by helicopter on Sunday to lead the long march.
A video shared by the party showed Afridi's convoy setting off amid a crowd of supporters.
The first phase of the march began from Gandi Chowk in the afternoon, with supporters from Lakki Marwat, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Bannu joining the procession.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised Afridi for using a "state helicopter for a political march", calling it a "violation of the Islamabad High Court's orders". "Terrorism is spreading in the province and Nero is playing his flute," he wrote on X.
Earlier, PTI workers led by former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur left Dera Ismail Khan for the march, and called on participants to remain peaceful, maintain discipline, and avoid violence, vandalism and confrontation with law enforcement.
"Those who block roads or engage in confrontation are not our workers," he said, adding that the party would follow a policy of "live and let live".
Gandapur said the march was a continuation of PTI's political struggle and a reaffirmation of its commitment to Imran Khan.
PTI supporters also gathered near Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Indus Highway, where heavy security was deployed, including police, armoured personnel carriers and bomb disposal squads.
KP Chief Minister's Special Assistant for Home and Tribal Affairs Tariq Saad said workers from Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, North Waziristan and South Waziristan would join the march. He said those unable to participate because of curfews or other security restrictions could join the procession later on its route to Peshawar.
The march was originally planned for September 27 but was postponed to October 4.
PTI has continued with the mobilisation despite negotiations with the federal government, which ended without resolving the dispute over the planned protest.
Under Afridi's announced schedule, the convoy will spend the first night near Karak before departing on October 5 and heading towards Kohat.
Participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai are due to join on October 6 before the march moves towards Peshawar. It will then travel through Peshawar and Charsadda before reaching Khairabad on October 8, where the next phase of the movement is expected to be announced.
The federal government has warned that the protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad, while government officials have also raised the possibility of imposing governor's rule or an emergency in KP, citing security concerns and the planned mobilisation.
Several KP districts have imposed restrictions under Section 144 ahead of the march.
In Dera Ismail Khan, movement of people and traffic on specified routes has been restricted from October 4 to October 6. Similar restrictions have been imposed in parts of South Waziristan, Tank and Hangu, citing law-and-order and public safety concerns.
The restrictions include limits on the movement of certain vehicles and, in some areas, people and traffic along specified routes.
Law enforcement and emergency services are exempt, while further exemptions can be granted by district authorities.
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