Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday began a multi-day long march towards Islamabad led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), calling for widespread participation across the province in a campaign demanding the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and other jailed party leaders. The march began from Gandi Chawk in Lakki Marwat at 1 pm, with supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat expected to join the first phase. Afridi expressed confidence in the political impact of the mobilisation, saying, “This march will change Pakistan’s destiny,” while urging supporters to maintain pressure on the federal government and military establishment.

Afridi said the movement would continue until Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, sister Aleema Khan and other detained PTI leaders and workers secured freedom and legal redress. He appealed to supporters, particularly young people, to participate in the campaign while maintaining a peaceful approach. “Victory will belong to Imran Khan and Pakistan’s youth,” he said, while also warning of the possibility of civil disruption. Afridi further declared that “stopping oppression is jihad” as he intensified his criticism of the federal government ahead of the march. The chief minister also accused Islamabad of failing to address security problems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and argued that the province had suffered from military operations and drone strikes under what he described as failed federal policies.

The PTI caravan is scheduled to travel through several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the coming days before reaching the provincial capital. After the first day's march from Lakki Marwat, the caravan is scheduled to halt near Karak. On October 5, supporters from Karak will join the march before it moves towards Kohat, where it is expected to spend the night. On October 6, participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai are scheduled to join before the caravan proceeds towards Peshawar and halts near Matni. The route will then continue through Peshawar, with supporters from Khyber District joining at Budh Bair and other constituencies joining at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza before the caravan moves towards Charsadda.

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According to Afridi's announced schedule, the march will leave Charsadda Interchange on October 8, with participants from Charsadda and Mohmand joining the procession. He said people from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would gather at Khairabad on the same day, where the next phase of the mobilisation would be announced. The route and schedule are part of a broader effort by the provincial PTI leadership to build momentum across southern and central districts before moving towards Islamabad. Afridi has positioned the campaign as a political movement seeking accountability, legal relief and the release of jailed PTI figures, while repeatedly calling on supporters to participate peacefully.

The latest mobilisation follows an earlier PTI march towards Islamabad that was planned for September 27 but was subsequently called off after organisers concluded that available legal avenues had been exhausted. Preparations for that protest had prompted intervention from the Islamabad High Court, which directed administrative authorities to prevent the diversion of state infrastructure for political gatherings and barred the obstruction of major thoroughfares in the capital. Federal authorities subsequently strengthened security arrangements and warned against actions that could affect public order and economic activity. The developments also fuelled debate over whether the federal government could intervene against the PTI administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The federal government has previously indicated differing positions on how it would respond to the provincial government's protest plans. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on September 21 that authorities were examining legal provisions concerning the possibility of Governor's Rule if the provincial government proceeded with the protest, while Information Minister Atta Tarar later said on September 23 that the Centre had no intention of removing the PTI government in the province. Other federal figures have called for dialogue while warning against disruption in Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has also urged the provincial government to abandon the protest. With the long march now underway, its progress towards Islamabad is expected to remain a major point of political confrontation between the PTI-led provincial government and the federal authorities.

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