Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters began a long march toward Islamabad on Sunday after weekend negotiations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government failed, reviving a standoff centered on the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi flew to Lakki Marwat to launch the first leg from Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar–Karachi Indus Highway, telling crowds the party would not accept federal policies that, in his words, undermined the province.
Phased route and Khan’s release demand
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had originally scheduled the protest for September 27, then postponed it to October 4 while back-channel talks continued. Party leaders say the march is aimed at securing Khan’s release and what they describe as legal rights for other imprisoned members. Afridi posted a day-by-day route on social media: convoys from southern districts were to join at Gandi Chowk, camp near Karak on Sunday night, pick up participants from Kohat and Peshawar over the following days, and gather at Khairabad on October 8, where he said the “next phase” would be announced.
Business Recorder reported that the federal government repeated warnings that the march would not be allowed into the capital. Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Sunday that protesters would be stopped at Islamabad’s limits and that disorder would be met with lawful force. Interior Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry, who joined the government delegation in the talks, told reporters the discussions broke down in part because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration would not assure cooperation on federal anti-militant operations in the province governed by Khan’s party.
Capital locked down
Authorities in Islamabad deployed extra security and placed shipping containers on arteries leading to the Red Zone ahead of the march, images from news agencies showed. The measures mirrored previous cycles of confrontation between Khan’s movement and the ruling coalition since his ouster and later legal battles that left him jailed. The Hindu reported that commuters passed barricades on October 4 as the party pressed ahead despite the collapsed dialogue.
Dawn’s live coverage from Lakki Marwat described Afridi framing the march as a defense of provincial interests rather than obedience to federal directives. “We are not yes-men; we are soldiers of Imran Khan,” he said, according to the newspaper. Special Assistant to the chief minister on home affairs Tariq Saad told journalists the convoy would remain peaceful and follow the leadership’s timetable.
What happens next
The immediate test is whether the caravan can move through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without clashes and whether federal police can keep it outside Islamabad without broader unrest. Sanaullah left open the possibility of further talks if the party met unspecified conditions, but neither side announced a new meeting date on Sunday. With Khan still in custody, the march is both a pressure tactic and a rehearsal for a larger convergence at Khairabad later in the week, when Afridi has promised to disclose how the protest will approach the capital.