PTI Islamabad long march: KP CM says party ready to mobilize within 24 hours

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said Sunday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is ready to mobilize within 24 hours for its Islamabad long march, which the party has postponed by a week to Oct. 4.

“We postponed the date as part of our strategy. Our preparations are complete, and we can set out on a 24-hour call,” Afridi said.

When will the PTI Islamabad long march begin?

The PTI political committee unanimously decided to move the start of the march from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4. The march will begin from Peshawar, with Afridi reiterating that the party intends to keep the protest peaceful.

The PTI says the mobilization is aimed at securing the release of jailed party founder Imran Khan and advancing what it describes as constitutional and political demands.

Afridi said the party would not retreat from what he described as Khan’s goal of “Haqeeqi Azadi,” or true freedom.

“We will not retreat even an inch from the objective of Imran Khan’s Haqeeqi Azadi, even if it costs us our lives,” he said.

What has Sohail Afridi said about militancy in KP?

The KP chief minister also defended PTI’s opposition to what he described as the return and resettlement of terrorists.

“We were shouting that terrorists were being brought back. We held peace marches against the resettlement of terrorists, but those clowns appearing on television today said nothing of the sort was happening,” Afridi said.

“We have always opposed policies that cause harm to the country,” he added.

Afridi said his government was committed to restoring peace and had allocated Rs35 billion for law and order after cutting the development budget. He said Rs191.4 billion had also been allocated for police in the 2026-27 budget, representing a 103% increase from the previous year.

“Until there is peace, there will be no development or prosperity,” Afridi said.

The chief minister said KP had made payments to federal institutions but was still not receiving armored personnel carriers and other equipment required to combat militancy. He urged authorities to accelerate the process.

What did Afridi say about counterterrorism operations?

Afridi claimed that 22 major operations and 14,000 smaller intelligence-based operations had been conducted, but militancy had not been eliminated.

He called for the KP government and people to be taken into confidence when counterterrorism policies are formulated. Afridi said his government could bring about “practical change” and end militancy within 100 days if its proposed policy was implemented.

His remarks came as PTI prepares for the Oct. 4 Islamabad long march and authorities maintain security measures and restrictions on routes leading to the capital. The party says the protest is aimed at securing Khan’s release and advancing what it describes as constitutional and political demands.