{"id":1890,"date":"2026-09-29T19:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T14:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=1890"},"modified":"2026-09-29T19:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T14:03:59","slug":"pti-sticks-to-oct-4-long-march-plans-prolonged-stay-in-swabi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=1890","title":{"rendered":"PTI sticks to Oct 4 long march, plans prolonged stay in Swabi"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to proceed with its planned long march to Islamabad on October 4, with the party\u2019s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa parliamentary group considering a prolonged stay in Swabi before deciding the next phase of the protest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The decision was taken at a parliamentary party meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The meeting was held through Zoom and was attended by provincial and national lawmakers, ministers, advisers and other party leaders.<\/p>\n

According to PTI sources, CM Afridi directed lawmakers and party leaders to make preparations for the October 4 march and shared the strategy for the mobilisation.<\/p>\n

The PTI has been gearing up for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad to demand the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated at Rawalpindi\u2019s Adiala Jail since 2023.<\/p>\n

The meeting discussed a proposal to reach Swabi on October 4 and stay there for several days. Participants considered setting up a tent city in Swabi, while consultations on whether and when to move towards Islamabad would also be held there.<\/p>\n

The decision came despite calls within the party for postponement of the protest amid security concerns and political tensions between the federal and KP governments.<\/p>\n

CM Afridi expressed displeasure over a letter by PTI leader and former provincial information minister Shaukat Yousafzai calling for the march to be postponed.<\/p>\n

<\/a>PTI rejects calls to postpone march<\/h3>\n

The chief minister questioned why workers were being discouraged and directed that no message of disappointment should be conveyed to party supporters, according to sources.<\/p>\n

In his letter, Yousafzai had urged the party leadership to reconsider the march in view of the prevailing situation, saying the safety of PTI workers should be given priority.<\/p>\n

He also referred to concerns over possible federal action against the KP government, including the possibility of emergency measures.<\/p>\n

KP Information Minister Shafi Jan, however, said the march would take place on the announced date and described Yousafzai\u2019s letter as his personal opinion. He said preparations for the mobilisation were under way.<\/p>\n

The latest decision follows PTI\u2019s announcement last Friday that it had postponed its planned September 27 march to October 4.<\/p>\n

CM Afridi had said the decision was taken by the party\u2019s political committee as part of its political strategy.<\/p>\n

The original plan envisaged a convoy leaving Peshawar for Islamabad, with supporters from other parts of the country joining the march.<\/p>\n

The party\u2019s latest mobilisation is expected to begin from Peshawar, with Swabi emerging as a key staging point. CM Afridi had earlier said PTI supporters would mark the birthday of party founder Imran Khan in Swabi on October 5.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Government, PTI differ over protest<\/h3>\n

The October 4 mobilisation is being planned against the backdrop of heightened security concerns.<\/p>\n

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government had not rejected dialogue with PTI but insisted that negotiations should be serious. He also said the release of prisoners was a matter for courts rather than the government.<\/p>\n

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has opposed the planned march, saying the province could not afford another major mobilisation amid the existing security situation. He has also said constitutional options could be considered if law and order deteriorates.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, PTI Senator Ali Zafar has offered talks with the federal government, saying the party would respond positively if the government took a step towards negotiations.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Constitutional options under discussion<\/h3>\n

The federal and KP governments have also remained at odds over possible constitutional measures, including emergency provisions and other political options. These discussions have intensified alongside the dispute over the planned march.<\/p>\n

According to sources, Kundi and Federal Minister Amir Muqam also discussed the law and order situation in KP during a meeting.<\/p>\n

The meeting reportedly covered possible political and constitutional options, including governor\u2019s rule and an in-house change, although no final decision was announced.<\/p>\n

The government had earlier imposed extensive restrictions and road closures ahead of PTI\u2019s original September 27 protest. Following the postponement, several major routes between Peshawar and Islamabad were reopened, although some restrictions remained in place.<\/p>\n

With PTI now reaffirming October 4 as the date for its mobilisation, the proposed stay in Swabi could become a key point for determining whether and how the convoy proceeds towards Islamabad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to proceed with its planned long march to Islamabad on October 4, with the party\u2019s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa parliamentary group considering a prolonged stay in Swabi before deciding the next phase of the protest. The decision was taken at a parliamentary party meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday. The meeting was held through Zoom and was attended by provincial and national lawmakers, ministers, advisers and other party leaders. According to PTI sources, CM Afridi directed lawmakers and party leaders to make…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}