PTI long march moves towards Kohat after Karak stay

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has recommenced the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march towards Islamabad on Monday. He addressed supporters in Karak, where the convoy will eventually depart for Kohat. Despite warnings from the Centre to prevent gatherings in the federal capital, the opposition has proceeded with the march, demanding the release of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.

The protest originates from weekend talks with the federal government, which failed due to disagreements mainly over counterterrorism policy. At Karak’s Jail Chowk, Afridi criticized the Centre’s approach to counterterrorism and past military operations, comparing his maturity to that of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s assessment of threats facing her province.

The convoy is expected to depart from Kohat at 12:30pm, after stopping overnight in the city. It will traverse to Peshawar on Oct 6, with a stop near Mattani, and then continue to Budh Bair in Peshawar on Oct 7 afternoon. Earlier, a digital media representative for Afridi shared a video of supporters welcoming the KP CM in Karak.

Since resuming the march from Lakki Marwat on Sunday, the PTI caravan reached Karak by night and Afridi spoke to supporters at Jail Chowk. Before the march, several roads in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, Tank and Hangu were restricted under Section 144 for varying durations. On Monday, former KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur, leading workers from DI Khan to Lakki Marwat, turned back due to road blockades and the law and order situation, emphasizing that the decision was temporary and not a withdrawal from the protest.

In Karachi, a planned protest was disrupted by police deploying personnel, blocking roads, and detaining party workers and leaders, with PTI alleging the arrest of over 75 leaders and workers, and more than 100 in Sindh. Negotiations between the opposition and the government on Saturday night ended in deadlock, with PTI accusing the federal government of blocking access to Imran Khan and refusing to include it in the agreement.