LAKKI MARWAT — The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched its long march toward Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat on Sunday, hours after three rounds of talks with the federal government collapsed in the early hours of the morning. The PTI long march Islamabad convoy is led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who says the party will announce its next course of action when the march reaches Khairabad on Thursday, October 8.
FAKTA
- What happened: PTI began its long march toward Islamabad from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on Sunday, October 4, after talks with the federal government broke down.
- Who is leading: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who travelled from Peshawar to Lakki Marwat to head the convoy.
- The talks: PTI, a federal government delegation and the PPP held three rounds of negotiations; the main dispute was the federal government’s demand that the province take ownership of anti-terrorism actions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Next announcement: Afridi says the party’s plan for the next phase will be announced on October 8, when the convoy gathers at Khairabad.
- The demands: Release of PTI founder Imran Khan and what the party calls the supremacy of law and the Constitution.
PTI long march Islamabad begins after talks fail
Sohail Afridi set off from Lakki Marwat’s Gandi Chowk, where party workers from Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and surrounding districts had gathered ahead of the march. Afridi had travelled from Peshawar to lead the procession, accompanied by PTI leaders including Junaid Akbar. A heavy police contingent was deployed in the area for security.
One local report, citing a Special Branch estimate, suggested the initial turnout in Lakki Marwat was modest — around 1,500 to 2,000 supporters — and noted that Afridi, expected around noon, reached the venue at about 4pm after delays.
The march had originally been announced for September 27 against what the party calls the illegal imprisonment of Imran Khan, but was postponed to October 4 a couple of days before it was due to start. PTI says its supporters are observing the march peacefully; Afridi has asked participants not to carry weapons and called it a peaceful political struggle for Imran Khan’s release.
Talks collapse after three rounds
PTI and a delegation from the government and the PPP held three rounds of talks before they finally broke down on Sunday morning. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the collapse, declaring that “talks have collapsed” and accusing the KP chief minister of sabotaging the negotiations.
According to PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, the primary reason for the failure of the overnight talks was the federal government’s insistence that all anti-terrorism actions it had unilaterally initiated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be owned by the provincial government. The talks, held at Parliament House under National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, also stalled over allowing the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to meet his personal physicians and over visitation requests involving Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, according to a report citing Dawn.
Naqvi claimed a draft agreement had been finalised but that Afridi later rejected it and introduced changes. PPP leader Sherry Rehman, who represented the government side, said a draft agreement was altered four times after an initial consensus was reached. PTI’s interim chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said after the talks that the party’s October 4 protest march remained intact.
Government warns against violence
The federal government has maintained that it will not allow the PTI to resort to violence, arguing that the party has created law-and-order situations whenever it entered the federal capital in the past. Naqvi said all those gathering for any sit-in would face a complete legal process and trial if they violated the law, and reiterated that no one would be permitted to storm the federal capital.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has warned that protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad. Federal ministers have also warned that the Centre could have no option but to impose governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing the province’s security situation and the protest call — a step the PTI has warned would have dire consequences.
March itinerary: Karak to Khairabad
According to the march plan shared by the KP chief minister, supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Bannu joined the long march from Gandi Chowk on October 4. The convoy is to halt for the night near Karak, departing at 12:30pm the next day and spending the night near Kohat.
On October 6 at 12pm, protesters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai will join the convoy as it moves toward Peshawar, spending the night near Mattani. The caravan departs from Budh Bair in Peshawar on October 7 afternoon, with the remaining Peshawar constituencies joining at the Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza, before spending the night near the Charsadda Interchange.
On October 8, the caravan will depart the Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm after people from Charsadda and Mohmand join, with people “of entire KP” gathering at Khairabad on the same day. Afridi has not detailed the final leg of the trip to the federal capital, saying only that the plan for the next phase will be announced at Khairabad.
Same story on our main site: PTI Launches Islamabad Long March After Failed Talks.
Conclusion
The launch of the PTI’s long march marks a sharp escalation in Pakistan’s political standoff. With three rounds of dialogue behind them and the two sides trading accusations of sabotage, the coming days — and Afridi’s promised October 8 announcement at Khairabad — will determine whether the protest ends in negotiation, confrontation, or constitutional brinkmanship.
