Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has postponed its planned long march from Peshawar to Islamabad by one week, with the opposition party now expected to begin the protest on October 4, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday.
The march had originally been scheduled for September 27 and is intended to press for the release of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, who remains in jail. Afridi said the party’s political committee had unanimously agreed to move the date and that the march would start from Peshawar.
The decision came after authorities introduced extensive security measures around Islamabad and on major routes leading to the capital. Roads, bridges and motorways have been blocked with shipping containers, while security personnel have been deployed in large numbers ahead of the planned protest.
PTI spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari told Reuters that although October 4 was now the announced date, the party could decide to begin the march earlier. He questioned how long the government would keep routes into the capital restricted.
The planned protest is the latest confrontation between Khan’s party and the authorities since his removal as prime minister in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Khan, a former international cricket star, has remained imprisoned since 2023 and has described himself as a political prisoner.
Authorities have also detained members and supporters of PTI in recent days. Reuters reported that three of Khan’s sisters and hundreds of party activists had been detained, with officials citing public-order concerns.
The party’s previous major protest in Islamabad, held in 2024, ended in clashes between supporters and security forces. PTI has continued to demand Khan’s release and has criticised the government’s restrictions on roads and gatherings.
Afridi said the party would continue with the planned protest despite the measures being taken along the route. He has also criticised the reported arrests of PTI leaders and workers and objected to road blockades near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Punjab boundary.
The postponement followed several days of uncertainty over whether the march would proceed as planned. Dawn reported that some party figures had discussed delaying the protest because of administrative and logistical issues, while PTI leaders continued to publicly support the planned demonstration.
The government has maintained that it will not allow protesters to block roads or disrupt routine activity in the capital. The new October 4 date is expected to keep security and political tensions around Islamabad elevated as PTI prepares for the next phase of its campaign for Khan’s release.
