Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has postponed its planned long march on the capital Islamabad from the original date of September 27 to October 4.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is expected to make the formal announcement.
The move follows internal consultations and comes as authorities tighten security measures across key routes and the federal capital.
Decision by the Political Committee
PTI leadership decided on the delay during a meeting of the party’s political committee on Friday. The party had announced last month that it would march to Islamabad on September 27 to demand the release of its founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan, who remains in custody, as per The Express Tribune reporting.
Preparations had centered on a main convoy from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with groups from other provinces expected to join before heading to the capital. The federal government had publicly warned the party against proceeding.
Party sources said a majority of leaders initially favored sticking to the September 27 schedule. After further discussions, the committee agreed to defer the march until October 4. Some reports circulating the same day indicated the new target date as October 5, with a formal announcement to follow consultations with allied leaders including Mahmood Khan Achakzai of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan and Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas. One PTI official from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter later told local media that no final decision had been taken to cancel the march and that the party remained prepared.
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Afridi’s Press Conference and Defiance
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi held a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar and insisted the long march would go ahead despite road blockades and other restrictions.
“Our long march will definitely take place. This time, we will definitely come out,” he said. Afridi criticized the placement of nails on roads at the provincial boundary, questioning whether Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was being isolated from the rest of the country.
“No matter how many nails they put in the roads, this long march will not be stopped,” he added.
He also challenged what he described as a growing narrative that one province faces threats from the other three rather than from external sources such as India. Afridi said officials from one province had entered another and clashed with government employees. He noted that PTI parliamentary leader Shahid Khattak and the provincial information minister had been barred from media appearances. He further claimed that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ministers were being taken away by people in plain clothes and that the province was being pushed in a different direction.
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Afridi criticized the closure of the provincial secretariat after a security alert, asking why government operations had stopped when the area was already under security control. “The entire cantonment is under their control. How can there be a threat here?” he said. He stated that he had personally reopened the mosque inside the secretariat, offered prayers there, and walked the premises. He urged residents of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa not to be afraid, saying, “Till your CM is with you, no one will look at the province with an evil eye.” After the press conference, Afridi left for Charsadda to attend a meeting. At that point, the political committee was still discussing a possible postponement until around October 5, with no final public decision yet announced.
Security Restrictions and Closures in Faizabad
According to Business Recorder Authorities ordered all hotels within the Faizabad area to close ahead of the possible march. Restaurants and shopkeepers were directed to shut their businesses by evening.
Guest houses and transport terminals at Faizabad were ordered closed from that night, according to police sources. All hostels in and around Faizabad were also directed to be vacated.
Hotel, restaurant, and hostel owners were asked to submit affidavits to relevant police stations confirming their commercial buildings had been completely vacated. Police said action would be taken against owners who failed to submit the affidavits by the following evening.
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Federal Response and Deployment of Rangers
On Thursday, the federal government moved to deploy paramilitary Pakistan Rangers in several Punjab districts and the federal capital to assist police in maintaining law and order and responding to potential security threats, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior.
The step came as PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan publicly urged the government to open negotiations over the planned September 27 march. Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Gohar warned that political workers should not be confronted with force. He said the party did not want the public and law-enforcement personnel to come face to face.
Gohar described dialogue as essential given the seriousness of the situation and the fact that a major political party was preparing for a long march. He urged the government not to use net launchers against protesters, saying political workers should not be dealt with through such measures. Instead, he said, their grievances should be heard, justice provided, and concerns considered seriously, with both sides setting egos aside.
“We are saying that our voice should be heard. We are peaceful and are coming out for our rights.”
“We are raising the voice for justice and have repeatedly said that we were not heard and were not given justice,” Gohar stated. He noted that while ministers could issue statements, none had said the government had listened to PTI’s concerns and delivered justice. At the time, he maintained the party’s program would not change.
Road Blocks and Force Deployment in Punjab
Hazara road links with Punjab were severed as authorities took measures to prevent the march, causing difficulties for passengers and residents traveling toward Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Containers were brought to the bridge over the Haro River at Ahata Taxila to block the Haripur-Hattar-Taxila Road. Traffic on the route remained open temporarily but was expected to be blocked by Thursday night.
In Rawalpindi Division, preparations entered the final phase, with more than 43,000 personnel to be deployed in Attock, Rawalpindi, Murree, Jhelum, and Chakwal to prevent protesters from entering the twin cities. Of these, 30,000 personnel were assigned to Attock. Around 14,250 personnel were to be deployed at sealing points on the M-1 motorway, including Haroon Bridge, Ghazi-Barotha Motorway Bridge, Tower Hill, Hazara Motorway, and Pathar Garh. All personnel were directed to perform duty with riot-control equipment. For logistics, authorities requested six armored personnel carrier vans, two water cannons, 20 prison vans, 50 megaphones, and 12 quadcopters with operators. Officials said Rawalpindi and Islamabad would be kept open under a “wait and see” policy, with responses calibrated if marchers crossed barriers in Punjab and moved closer to the twin cities.
Court Hearing on Detention of Imran Khan’s Sisters
Separately, the Lahore High Court on Friday sought reports from relevant authorities on a petition challenging the detention of Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and her driver. Provincial law officers told the court that the home secretary had fixed September 28 for a review hearing on the detention. Aleema Khan was detained for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order law through an order issued by the Lahore administration.
The petition, filed by her son Shahraiz, sought judicial intervention against the order.
Justice Abher Gul Khan heard the matter. Law officers placed a letter on record stating the home secretary would review the detention on September 28 and asked the court to dispose of the petition. Petitioner’s counsel Rana Mudassar Umar opposed this, arguing the government was causing procedural delay and that the court should examine the order independently. He described the order as appearing ante-dated and based on vague reports issued after the alleged arrest. He asked the court to suspend the order immediately rather than wait for the administrative review.
The court declined to suspend the order at that stage and instead sought reports from the Punjab home secretary, Lahore deputy commissioner, and Superintendent of Jail. Counsel then requested that the Lahore deputy commissioner, CCPO Lahore, and other officials be summoned along with the original record and reports relied upon for the detention order. He argued that allegations had already been addressed in related criminal proceedings and that his client had been acquitted in the relevant cases, with the acquittal order placed on the court record. The court observed that officials would not be summoned that day and said the chief secretary would be summoned if its order was not complied with. Counsel objected that the detention period would continue running in the meantime
Umar also raised the issue of Aleema’s access to family and lawyers while in detention, submitting that neither family access nor access to counsel had been provided and that basic necessities including clothes and medicines were allegedly not being allowed. Describing the situation as harsh, he asked the court to allow family and counsel meetings and permit essential items to be provided. The court directed counsel to submit a written application, saying an appropriate order would be passed in accordance with the law. The application was filed shortly afterward.
Imran Khan’s other sisters, Dr. Uzma and Noreen Niazi, were also detained for 30 days under Section 3 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960, a day after Aleema’s detention. The detentions came ahead of the planned September 27 protest. Orders issued by the Lahore deputy commissioner cited police reports alleging the women’s activities were “prejudicial to the public safety and maintenance of public order” and linked them to the May 9, 2023 protests and road blockades. The orders also noted multiple cases registered against them.
Asim Tanveer is a seasoned journalist working for TV and electronic and print media outlets. He has been working for some of the world’s leading news organizations including Associated Press (AP), Reuters, BBC, CNN, CNBC, Star TV, Voice of America and The New York Times for more than 30 years. He has won several awards for his live coverage of events that include a Reuters News Agency World Award and the Pride of Performance award in 1997.
