Sohail Afridi resumes PTI march from Karak, convoy set to move towards Kohat

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi resumed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest march on Monday, addressing party supporters at Jail Chowk in Karak before leading his convoy towards Kohat.

The PTI-led opposition has continued its march despite warnings from the federal government that gatherings in Islamabad would not be allowed. The protest is seeking the release of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.

The march was revived after negotiations between PTI and the federal government over the weekend failed to resolve their differences. Among the major points of disagreement was the Centre’s policy for dealing with terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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Addressing the gathering in Karak, Afridi once again criticised the federal government’s counterterrorism approach and questioned previous military operations and drone strikes.

He also responded to remarks made by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi a day earlier, when Naqvi had described him as “immature”.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks regarding the threat of terrorism to Punjab, Afridi said: “Suppose, I say that [my province] does not have a threat from India, but from the other three provinces, will you consider me mature?”

He said if raising concerns about his province and its people was considered immature, then he had shown this “immaturity” the previous day, was continuing to do so and would keep doing so.

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Afridi argued that “wrong policies drafted behind closed doors were impacting all institutions”.

Reaffirming his patriotism, the PTI leader said, “We also chant Pakistan zindabad, we stand up for the national anthem as well.”

He warned, however, that future generations might not share the same sentiment if efforts to “divide Pakistan and spread hatred” continued.

Afridi maintained that PTI was raising public demands through democratic means, but warned that if the situation went beyond all limits, neither he nor anyone else would be able to control the public.

He said policies should be based on the wishes of the people and youth and must serve the national interest.

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“We will not accept any decision taken behind closed doors that is against us, our province or Pakistan,” the KP chief minister said.

Afridi also said Imran Khan had the option of seeking his release but had chosen to remain imprisoned for the nation’s “freedom”.

“He is free even in jail, and we are slaves even when free,” he said.

The chief minister called on supporters to gather in Swabi, saying the party’s next move could not be predicted.

Earlier, Afridi’s focal person for digital media, Yar Muhammad Khan Niazi, posted a video on X showing PTI supporters welcoming the chief minister at Jail Chowk in Karak.

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According to an earlier post by Afridi, people from Karak were due to join the convoy at noon, with the departure initially scheduled for 12:30 pm. The convoy, however, left later than planned.

وزیر اعلیٰ خیبرپختونخوا محمد سہیل آفریدی کی قیادت میں تاریخی لانگ مارچ کے پہلے دن کی شاندار جھلکیاں وزیر اعلیٰ محمد سہیل آفریدی نے لکی مروت سے لانگ مارچ کا آغاز کیا، جہاں مختلف اضلاع، بنوں اور وزیرستان سے آنے والے قافلے شامل ہوتے گئے۔ قافلہ کرک کے جیل چوک پہنچا، جہاں عوام اور کارکنان نے بھرپور جوش و جذبے سے استقبال کیا۔ لکی مروت سے کرک تک مختلف مقامات پر عوام اور تحریک انصاف کے کارکنان نے قافلے کا والہانہ استقبال کیا۔ لانگ مارچ کا قافلہ آج کرک سے کوہاٹ کی جانب روانہ ہوگا اور رات کو کوہاٹ میں قیام کرے گا، جبکہ تاریخی سفر جاری رہے گا۔

The caravan is scheduled to remain in Kohat overnight before continuing towards Peshawar at noon on October 6. It will spend the night near Mattani.

On October 7, the convoy is expected to leave Budh Bair in Peshawar in the afternoon and stay overnight near Charsadda Interchange.

The protesters are then scheduled to continue their journey the following afternoon and spend the night of October 8 at Khairabad.

Afridi has not revealed details of the final leg towards the federal capital, saying the plan for the next stage will be announced at Khairabad.

The already-postponed PTI march formally resumed from Lakki Marwat on Sunday afternoon. Afridi’s convoy later reached Karak, where he addressed supporters at Jail Chowk during the night.

Before the march began, movement on several roads in Dera Ismail Khan, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, Tank and Hangu was restricted under Section 144 for different periods.

Meanwhile, former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who was leading PTI workers from Dera Ismail Khan towards Lakki Marwat, turned back from Yarik on Monday amid road blockades and the prevailing law and order situation.

Gandapur said Section 144 had been enforced in the area for three days and that party leadership had instructed workers not to damage public property or take any action that could further aggravate the situation.

He said, however, that the decision to return should not be interpreted as the protest movement being called off, describing it as a temporary measure.

In Karachi, police disrupted a planned PTI protest campaign in several areas by deploying personnel, blocking roads and detaining party workers and leaders.

PTI claimed that more than 75 party leaders and workers, including women, were detained from different parts of Karachi. The party further alleged that arrests in other areas of Sindh, including Sukkur, had pushed the total number of detained PTI workers across the province above 100.

The latest political tensions followed lengthy negotiations on Saturday night between an opposition delegation comprising PTI and Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and a joint government-PPP team. The talks ended without an agreement.

The federal government blamed Chief Minister Afridi for the failure to reach a deal, while PTI rejected the allegation.

According to PTI, access to Imran Khan, his medical treatment and the federal government’s counterterrorism policy were the principal issues behind the deadlock.

PTI said the government had agreed to restore meetings between Imran Khan, his family members and lawyers from Tuesday, but “declined to make access to Imran Khan part of the proposed agreement”.

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