Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leads convoy demanding Imran Khan’s release as protesters advance through southern districts toward planned gathering at Khairabad.
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continued their long march through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, travelling from Karak to Kohat after an overnight stay, with the convoy scheduled to move toward Peshawar the following day as part of a multi-stage protest calling for the release of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
PTI March Moves Toward Peshawar:
The march, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, began on Sunday from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat district in the province’s south. Participants from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and surrounding areas joined the initial leg. The convoy covered roughly 80 kilometres before reaching Karak late Sunday night, where a large camp was established at Jail Chowk.
On Monday, Afridi addressed supporters in Karak before leading the procession onward to Kohat’s Lachi area, where protesters planned to spend the night. Party officials said mobile phone and internet services had been suspended in Karak and nearby localities as part of security and administrative measures. The next stage calls for the caravan to depart Kohat around midday on Tuesday, October 6, with supporters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai expected to join before it proceeds toward Peshawar and an overnight halt near Mattani, about 30 kilometres from the provincial capital.
PTI March Heads Toward Khairabad:
According to the schedule announced by Afridi, the march will continue on October 7 from Budh Bair in Peshawar, with additional participants from Khyber district and various Peshawar constituencies expected to join at points including the Kohat Road Bridge and a motorway toll plaza. An overnight stop is planned near the Charsadda Interchange. On October 8, caravans from Charsadda and Mohmand, along with others from across the province, are scheduled to converge at Khairabad-a site near the Punjab border-where Afridi has said the next phase of the protest and further plans will be announced.
The long march follows the breakdown of talks between PTI and the federal government. Party leaders frame the mobilisation as a demand for Khan’s release from what they describe as politically motivated detention, along with access to medical care and an end to restrictions on meetings with him. Afridi has characterised the current phase as requiring endurance and sustained participation, telling supporters in Kohat that the struggle is a prolonged one.
Authorities have heightened security along parts of the route, with reports of containers and other barriers placed on roads in areas such as Attock and Taxila. PTI maintains the protest is peaceful and democratic, while federal officials have previously indicated that entry into Islamabad would not be permitted. The convoy’s progress through southern and central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa marks a significant provincial mobilisation in a polarised political climate, with the planned gathering at Khairabad on October 8 expected to determine the subsequent direction of the campaign.