PTI long march enters fourth day, heads to Khyber as party rallies behind Afridi

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march entered its fourth day as the convoy moved from Mattani towards Khyber on Wednesday, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leading the procession, while the party said a large gathering in Kohat had demonstrated public support for the chief minister.

The long march caravan departed Mattani for Khyber today and is scheduled to stay there overnight. The long march, which is being headed by K-P CM Sohail Afridi, announced a change in the route a day earlier, saying the march would first head towards Khyber and then proceed to Peshawar.

PTI central information secretary Shafi Jan said Afridi had presented his case directly before the “court of the people” during the march’s stop in Kohat, where he received a large public reception.

“The people of Kohat made it clear through their enthusiastic welcome that the people stand with CM Afridi,” Jan said in a post on X.

Jan’s remarks came in response to Sanaullah’s criticism of the PTI long march and the K-P government. Sanaullah had said the government would not accept political demands through pressure or attempts to “hold the state hostage”, while accusing the PTI of pursuing political instability and opposing intelligence-based counter-terrorism operations in the province.

He said K-P had the “original Form 45 government”, describing it as a government established through the mandate of PTI founder Imran Khan and the people.

“This government, formed through the votes of the people, cannot be removed through any political plan,” he said. Jan also rejected suggestions that Afridi could be removed from office, “You should worry about yourself,” he said.

He added that the government represented the people’s mandate and that any political action against it would be answered through constitutional and democratic means.

According to Jan, Afridi’s demands included a meeting with Imran, access to personal physicians for his treatment, justice for Bushra Bibi and other members of Imran’s family, decisions in cases on merit, and a comprehensive strategy for restoring peace in K-P through consultation with all stakeholders.

He said Afridi had invited all stakeholders in the province to the K-P Assembly for consultations on restoring peace, resulting in a 13-point plan signed by the opposition leader and other opposition leaders.

“The plan has already been sent to the relevant stakeholders,” Jan said.

He further highlighted that Afridi had made a serious effort to develop a joint and practical strategy for lasting peace by taking all political and relevant stakeholders into confidence.

Jan said the long march was continuing peacefully and within the constitutional framework under Afridi’s leadership, adding that the large turnout in Kohat showed that the chief minister had put his position before the public and that people had listened to him directly.

PTI’s long march

The change in route was announced by CM Afridi on Tuesday as the march reached its third day. Afridi said the PTI had originally planned to head towards Peshawar but would now first proceed towards Khyber before returning to the provincial capital.

Afridi said the route had been changed as part of the PTI’s strategy, without giving further details about the reason for the change.

Read: PTI marchers change route, head to Khyber first

The march had reached Kohat on Monday after beginning from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on Sunday. Caravans from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat had joined the procession at the starting point before it moved towards Karak for an overnight stay.

On the second day, the caravan moved from Karak towards Kohat, with participants from Karak joining the procession. Afridi addressed participants in Kohat and announced that the march would resume its journey towards Peshawar from University Chowk on Tuesday.

On the third day, caravans from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai joined the procession. The march was initially scheduled to travel from Kohat towards Peshawar and stay overnight near Mattani.

Under the original schedule announced by Afridi, the caravan was due to depart from Budh Bair in Peshawar on Wednesday, with participants from Khyber district joining the march there. Other Peshawar constituencies were scheduled to join at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza before the procession moved towards the Charsadda interchange.

The march was then scheduled to move from the Charsadda interchange towards Khairabad on October 8, with participants from Charsadda and Mohmand joining the caravan. The next phase of the march was to be announced at Khairabad.