CM Afridi lays out K-P long march schedule amid govt-PTI deadlock in talks

Says party will neither allow nor let anyone repeat May 9

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi laid out the schedule for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) long march to Islamabad from his province after Saturday midnight, even as the federal government coalition and the party remained engaged in negotiations after hours of talks.

In a post on X, the chief minister laid out the plan for the long march, saying its first phase would begin at 1pm on Sunday from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat.

 

انشأللہ آج گنڈی چوک لکی مروت سے ہم لانگ مارچ کا پہلا مرحلہ شروع کریں گے-

آج بروز اتوار، 4 اکتوبر، دوپہر ایک بجے گنڈی چوک لکی مروت سے ٹانک، ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان، ساؤتھ وزیرستان، نارتھ وزیرستان، بنوں اور لکی مروت کے اضلاع سے تعلق رکھنے والے غیور پاکستانی لانگ مارچ کا حصہ بنیں گے۔ رات…

— Sohail Afridi (@SohailAfridiISF) October 3, 2026

He said people from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat would join the march at Gandi Chowk. The caravan would then halt for the night near Karak.

On Oct 5, people from Karak would join the march at noon, with the caravan scheduled to depart at 12:30pm and halt for the night near Kohat, Afridi said.

On Oct 6, people from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai would join the march at noon. The caravan would then proceed towards Peshawar and spend the night near Matni, he added.

On Oct 7, the march would depart from Budh Bair in Peshawar at 12:30pm, with people from Khyber district joining there. The remaining constituencies of Peshawar would join the march at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza, while the caravan would spend the night near Charsadda Interchange.

On Oct 8, the march would depart from Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm, with people from Charsadda and Mohmand joining the caravan.

The chief minister said people from across K-P would gather at Khairabad on Oct 8 and spend the night there. “Insha’Allah, the plan for the next phase will be announced there,” he said.

He earlier said the PTI was Pakistan’s “largest and most popular political party” and that its planned October 4 march would begin from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat and continue until the supremacy of the Constitution and law and the restoration of an independent judiciary.

In a post on X, the chief minister said Pakistan was a democratic country and its Constitution provided the right to peaceful protest.

He said all demands of the PTI were in accordance with the Constitution and law.

“On October 4, a sea of people will begin its journey from Gandi Chowk, Lakki Marwat, and will continue its struggle until the supremacy of the Constitution and law and restoration of an independent judiciary in Pakistan,” he said.

ہم پاکستان کی سب سے بڑی اور سب سے مقبول سیاسی جماعت ہیں۔ پاکستان ایک جمہوری ملک ہے، جس کا آئین ہمیں پُرامن احتجاج کا حق دیتا ہے۔

4 اکتوبر کو گنڈی چوک، لکی مروت سے عوام کا سمندر اپنا سفر شروع کرے گا اور پاکستان میں آئین و قانون کی بالادستی اور آزاد عدلیہ کی بحالی تک اپنی جدوجہد…

— Sohail Afridi (@SohailAfridiISF) October 3, 2026

The chief minister alleged that those who had been “forcibly” kept in control of Pakistan wanted the country to break apart, and accused them of “setting Pakistan on fire” to protect their power.

He also alleged that terrorism had been deliberately imposed on K-P again after the “regime change”, saying that when PTI had raised its voice in the summer of 2022, it had been called a liar.

“Terrorism is not a narrative war for the people of K-P and Pakistan; every citizen is affected by it,” he said.

The chief minister said PTI founder Imran Khan had always maintained that military operations against people in the country and displacing them were not a lasting solution to the problem.

He said drone attacks and so-called “collateral damage” increased terrorism, adding that he remained firm on this position.

CM Afridi said the stance was no longer limited to PTI in K-P, but was shared by every political and religious party and people belonging to every school of thought, with their signatures available as evidence in the provincial assembly jirga.

The chief minister said that during PTI’s federal government, Pakistan and K-P were known for “tourism, not terrorism”.

Read: PTI long march to roll out from Lakki

He said that when he claimed that peace could return to K-P within 100 days through a change in policy, the proposal was not acted upon.

“Who is facilitating terrorism?” he asked, while also questioning who was taking away ministers and workers along with “good” favourites, why weapons purchased for the province were not reaching the police and why the police had been forced to rebel.

He also questioned why peace had not returned to Balochistan when the provincial and federal governments were “on the same page”, and why Pakistan had ranked first in terrorism.

The chief minister said those who considered themselves “all-knowing” had been wrong in the past and remained wrong, adding that they would continue to be wrong until they changed their policies.

He said they would neither allow nor let anyone repeat May 9.

“Whoever stole the CCTV footage was the one who caused May 9,” he added.

In response to the chief minister’s social media post, one of the government’s delegates to the planned second round of consultations to end the political deadlock, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said, “The government wants to make negotiations with the opposition meaningful and result-oriented, but statements being issued by K-P CM Sohail Afridi could hamper the process.”

حکومت اپوزیشن کے ساتھ مزاکرات کو بامقصد اور نتیجہ خیز بنانا چاہتی ہے لیکن مزاکرات کے دوران وزیراعلی کے پی سہیل آفریدی کے بیانات اس عمل کو متاثر کر سگتے ہیں، تحریک انصاف کی قیادت کو چاہیے کہ مزاکرات کے حتمی مرحلے تک اس قسم کی گفتگو سے اجتناب کریں جس سے اس عمل کو نقصان ہو ، سہیل… https://t.co/sEUG84GnmP

— Dr. Tariq Fazal Ch. (@DrTariqFazal) October 3, 2026

Speaking about the ongoing talks, Chaudhry said the PTI leadership should refrain from issuing statements that could undermine the negotiations until the process reaches its final stage.

He urged the PTI leadership to exercise restraint and avoid rhetoric that could damage the dialogue process.

PML-N-backed MNA Chaudhry also lambasted CM Afridi for his choice of words.

“The language Sohail Afridi is using against his opponents and our leadership is unbecoming of a chief minister. His remarks are extremely inappropriate and condemnable,” he concluded his statement on X.

Later in the day, K-P Information Minister Shafi Jan took to social media and said his party rejects the attempt to link K-P with terrorism.

In a social media post, the minister asserted, “In front of the media, an attempt was made to link Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the K-P government to terrorism through images and allegations. We make it clear that linking political differences to allegations of terrorism is unacceptable.”

خیبرپختونخوا کو دہشت گردی سے جوڑنے کی کوششیں مسترد کرتے ہیں، آج میڈیا کے سامنے تصاویر اور الزامات کے ذریعے تحریکِ انصاف، وزیراعلیٰ @SohailAfridiISF اور خیبرپختونخوا حکومت کو دہشت گردی سے جوڑنے کی کوشش کی گئی۔ ہم واضح کرتے ہیں کہ سیاسی اختلاف کو دہشت گردی کے الزامات سے جوڑنا… pic.twitter.com/5HEhFl1bGk

— Shafi Jan (@ShafiJanPTI) October 3, 2026

Speaking further, Minister Jan emphasised that the people of K-P made “unparalleled sacrifices in the war against terrorism” and therefore calling them terrorists was an insult to the sacrifices of the millions of families who lost their loved ones in the war.

The provincial information minister further demanded that discussions should be based on facts and evidence instead of accusations.