PTI march heads towards Swabi as CM Afridi outlines next steps

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party’s protest march towards Islamabad reached Charsadda district in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, its sixth day, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi outlined plans for rallies in Swabi over the weekend and said the movement’s future course would be announced on October 13.

A convoy led by Afridi departed the provincial capital, Peshawar, for Charsadda, where participants were expected to spend the night before travelling towards neighbouring Mardan on Saturday.

Addressing marchers at Shabqadar Chowk in Charsadda, Afridi urged supporters from across Pakistan to gather at Swabi Interchange on October 12. He said convoys from Peshawar and Malakand divisions would arrive on October 13, when plans for participants from Hazara division would also be announced.

Convoys from Kohat division would join the march, Afridi said, adding that participants from Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions would travel along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route.

Afridi praised the economic record of former prime minister Imran Khan’s government, which was in power from 2018 to 2022, saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had experienced peace and prosperity during that period and that national economic indicators had also been positive.

He alleged that decisions made behind closed doors had derailed Pakistan’s development.

Afridi also questioned the effectiveness of Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign, claiming that 14,000 intelligence-based operations and 22 major military operations had been conducted between 2004 and 2026 without eliminating militancy. He alleged that the authorities’ real objective was to target PTI and its jailed founder, Khan.

Citing Pakistan’s ranking of 130th among 143 countries in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, Afridi blamed what he described as political victimization for the state of the rule of law.

On foreign policy, Afridi said Pakistan lacked good relations with neighboring countries. He argued that regional trade could generate $100 billion in annual business and 27 trillion Pakistani rupees in revenue.

The PTI launched its march towards Islamabad from southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 4, demanding the release of Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, access to medical treatment and greater coordination between the federal and provincial governments to combat militancy. The protest began after talks with the federal government broke down.

The convoy has travelled through Lakki Marwat, Karak, Kohat, Khyber, Peshawar and Charsadda districts. It is expected to move towards Mardan before proceeding to Swabi, where the party plans to bring together supporters from across the province ahead of its next announcement.