PTI march fizzles out after K-P emergency, arrests
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) planned march towards Islamabad was thrown into disarray on Sunday as the federal government's imposition of an emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa effectively stripped the party of its provincial power base, while a sweeping security crackdown disrupted its mobilisation on the ground.
The planned mobilisation was derailed as police arrested 59 PTI workers in Swabi and six others in Khyber district, while reports emerged that ousted chief minister Sohail Afridi and the party's provincial president Junaid Akbar had also been taken into custody.
Police tightened security across the province, suspended mobile phone and PTCL internet services in Swabi and deployed personnel at key intersections and highways as the federal government moved to take control of the provincial administration.
Former chief minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur said he had been placed under house arrest at his residence in Dera Ismail Khan.
Meanwhile, the PTI condemned the federal intervention as an assault on provincial autonomy and the democratic mandate, insisting that its political struggle and planned long march would continue.
March stalls in Swabi
The PTI caravan, led by Afridi, had been expected to reach Swabi on the night of October 11 as part of its mobilisation towards Islamabad. However, following the emergency and governor's rule, the anticipated show of strength failed to materialise in the district, where the party's local leadership remained largely absent and no major demonstration was reported.
Heavy police contingents were deployed at Aman Chowk in Swabi, Topi, Swabi Interchange and Shewa Adda in Razzar tehsil. Containers were also brought to Swabi Interchange, Jehangira Bridge and the bridge over the Indus River on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway amid concerns about possible protests and attempts to block traffic.
However, the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and the Grand Trunk Road remained open to traffic.
Police sources said raids had been conducted in Shewa Adda and adjoining areas after reports that the PTI caravan was expected to arrive. The action was aimed at detaining party workers, although no arrests had initially been reported.
PTI leaders had reportedly directed workers to assemble at the Razzar Sports Complex to prepare for the march. Some party activists and youth wing members subsequently gathered at Shewa Adda ground and Ismaila Interchange.
However, police dispersed some of the protesters.
The anticipated mobilisation failed to gain momentum. At Aman Chowk, the situation remained normal as traffic flowing and businesses operated as usual.
Arrests, crackdown
The picture changed as the crackdown intensified. Police had arrested 59 PTI workers in Swabi by the latest reports as the emergency and governor's rule effectively prevented the planned march from proceeding through the district as anticipated.
The crackdown extended to Khyber district, where police arrested six PTI workers who were protesting against governor's rule outside Bab-e-Khyber. District Police Officer Waqar Ahmed said police moved against the demonstrators, with dozens of PTI supporters participating in the protest before some fled and six were arrested.
The detained workers were shifted to Jamrud police station. The DPO said authorities would not allow anyone to disturb public order.
Afridi, Junaid Akbar reportedly arrested
Political tensions escalated further after the PTI claimed that Afridi and Junaid Akbar had been arrested following the suspension of the provincial government.
A message posted on Akbar's official social media account said the two leaders had been taken into custody. The party also announced their reported arrests in growing political repression.
An official confirmation from the relevant authorities was not available at the time of the initial reports.
Videos circulated on social media showing the container used by Afridi during the march abandoned beside a road in Charsadda, adding to uncertainty over the whereabouts of the former chief minister and the future of the protest.
Gandapur under house arrest
Meanwhile, police placed Gandapur, another former K-P chief minister and a senior PTI leader, under house arrest at his residence in Dera Ismail Khan, according to police sources.
A heavy police contingent was deployed outside his home, while security arrangements were tightened in the surrounding area.
Gandapur confirmed the development in a social media message, saying it was an extremely regrettable and condemnable act. He said he was not intimidated by the measures and that the PTI's struggle would continue.
The reported detention of Afridi and Akbar, along with Gandapur's house arrest, dealt a further blow to the party's efforts to mobilise supporters after the federal intervention.
In a separate development, Additional Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Faisal Ilyas resigned in protest against "the unconstitutional imposition of an emergency" in the province.
Gohar seeks political consensus
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the imposition of governor's rule and an emergency, arguing that neither measure would resolve the province's security problems.
He said counterterrorism efforts required a unified strategy developed through political consensus and rejected allegations that the K-P government had failed to cooperate with the federal authorities.
"If the problem of terrorism exists in 12 districts, why has governor's rule been imposed across the province?" he asked.
Gohar said the PTI had consistently condemned terrorism in all its forms and that the country's security and defence remained paramount. However, he argued that the fight against terrorism should not be used to justify political action against his party or undermine an elected provincial government.
The PTI chairman said the party would challenge governor's rule through the courts, provincial and national assemblies, and public forums. He maintained that the struggle for constitutional and democratic rights would continue.
Gohar also called for the release of political prisoners and the restoration of the legal rights of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
He demanded that Khan be transferred to a hospital for treatment, that his family be permitted to meet him, and that they be provided with details of his health and treatment.
He said the PTI had approached the Supreme Court and high courts 19 times seeking relief for its incarcerated founder. After failing to obtain the relief it sought through the courts, the party had announced a long march for August 5 to secure Khan's rights, he added.
Gohar claimed that around 1,500 PTI workers were imprisoned in Punjab. He further alleged that 10 members of the K-P Assembly, including three ministers, and eight members of the National Assembly had also been arrested.
Rejecting the federal government's narrative concerning the party, he said political action against the PTI should not be conflated with efforts to eliminate terrorism.
Gohar further claimed that terrorism had not been discussed during 15 meetings between the PTI and government representatives before October 2. He said the provincial government had increased police capacity, provided security resources and participated in counterterrorism meetings.
He argued that federal interference had weakened the provincial government's authority and that sidelining an elected chief minister was inconsistent with democratic principles. An autonomous province, he maintained, was essential to a strong federation.
'Talks were progressing'
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the party had consistently called for a mutually agreed strategy to address terrorism, insisting that decisions on security operations should be made in consultation with political parties rather than imposed unilaterally.
Referring to the Parachinar agreement, Raja said the party wanted previously agreed decisions to be implemented rather than additional conditions being introduced.
He cited the February 2026 meeting of the Apex Committee and a resolution adopted at a peace jirga as important foundations for moving forward.
Raja said Afridi had taken a clear position on the issue and that the provincial government could not give the federal government unrestricted authority to undertake whatever measures it considered appropriate.
"We cannot give anyone written permission to do whatever they want and then endorse it," he said.
He stressed that any decision concerning governor's rule or an emergency had to conform to constitutional principles and emerge from political consensus.
According to Raja, negotiations had involved consultations with opposition leaders Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, while Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other political figures had been working to make the dialogue successful.
He claimed that negotiations had been progressing satisfactorily and rejected the imposition of an emergency as a hasty decision. He also cited Senator Kamran Murtaza as saying that the discussions were moving in the right direction.
Raja said the arrest of a provincial assembly speaker was an extraordinary step, arguing that the assembly continued to exist despite the federal intervention.
He said the crackdown would not force the PTI to abandon its principles, maintaining that the party was seeking peace and protection for innocent people.
Raja also reiterated that the announcement of Afridi's long march had not been withdrawn, saying peaceful protest was a fundamental constitutional right.
"We will not throw stones. Through peaceful protest, we have to express our moral position," he said, adding that a large-scale, peaceful demonstration by citizens across the country would convey a strong message.
He said people would decide how to express their displeasure over actions against democracy, while drawing a distinction between political protest and revolutionary action.
Raja Nasir Abbas calls for NAP implementation
Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, chief of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and opposition leader in the Senate, deplored the treatment meted out to the PTI, saying Pakistan was a federation whose provinces were united under a single Constitution.
He claimed that Imran Khan had secured the majority of public support in the elections and alleged that the ruling establishment feared the public mandate and had persistently targeted the PTI.
Abbas blamed the government for the prevailing insecurity, arguing that the conduct of those in power had caused greater damage than the country's external enemies could inflict.
He called for the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), saying the seven days since negotiations began could have been used to make meaningful progress towards a political settlement.
Abbas said his party could not support military operations in which ordinary citizens became victims. Counterterrorism measures, he argued, had to protect civilians and contribute to lasting peace rather than deepen public alienation.
The press conference was held at an imambargah in Islamabad's Barakahu after K-P House, where the alliance would ordinarily have held such briefings, was sealed. The opposition leaders said the move had forced them to seek an alternative venue.
The Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) condemned the emergency and governor's rule as unconstitutional and contrary to democratic principles, announcing that it would challenge the decision through the courts, assemblies and public forums.