• Afridi remains mum on movement towards capital, caravans to reach Nowshera on 8th
• CM assailed for using ‘state helicopter’ to reach Lakki Marwat for ‘political march’
• Gandapur leading caravan from D.I. Khan takes a U-turn near Yarik
PESHAWAR/LAKKI MARWAT: A day after releasing the five-day plan for the protest march, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday launched the march from Lakki Marwat after reaching the city by helicopter to lead the protest.
The PTI decided to embark on the march after talks with the federal government failed for multiple reasons, particularly over the counterterrorism policy.
Addressing the participants, CM Afridi said the PTI’s negotiating committee had gone to Islamabad to lower the political temperature, but those making decisions behind closed doors had sabotaged the talks.
“They wanted their will to prevail in KP, but I declared that only Imran Khan’s vision and policies would be implemented here. We do not accept any policy that is not in the interest of the people of KP and the Pakhtuns,” he claimed. Both sides blame each other for the collapse of talks.
The chief minister declared: “We are not ‘yes-men’; we are soldiers of Imran Khan, and we will carry forward his policies.” He repeatedly asked the crowd whether it supported a military operation, asking those opposed to it to raise their hands. He questioned the policy being followed to tackle terrorism, saying: “What kind of policy is this, where terrorism has persisted for 22 years?”
He said the protest march was being launched from Gandi Chowk and would conclude at another chowk. At this, the crowd shouted: “D-Chowk.” “We are a political force and a party, and those who dream of the demise of the PTI can never succeed,” he added. CM Afridi said the participants would leave from Gandi Chowk and their next stop would be Karak. By late
Sunday night, the convoy had entered Karak district and reached Hamidan Chowk.
Gandapur’s convoy returns
Former CM Ali Amin Gandapur, who was leading PTI workers from Dera Ismail Khan to Lakki Marwat, took a U-turn from Yarik because of road blockades and the prevailing law and order situation.
Addressing the workers at Yarik, he noted that Section 144 had been imposed in the area for three days and that the party leadership had clearly directed workers not to damage public property or engage in any activity that could worsen the situation.
Mr Gandapur told the workers that the return should not be viewed as a withdrawal from the protest movement, but as a temporary decision based on the prevailing circumstances, the safety of the workers and the instructions of the party leadership. He emphasised that the law and order situation did not warrant keeping a large number of workers at the site overnight.
He also told the workers that they could remain at Yarik if they wanted to, but he could not violate the instructions by party leadership. However, some workers expressed disagreement with the decision to take the convoy back. They said they wanted to stay and continue their participation in the protest for as long as the movement continued.
Mr Gandapur expressed displeasure over their position and urged them to take the situation on the ground into account. “TikTok-type talk” should not be made here, he told the workers, stressing that decisions had to be based on the situation on the ground. He then persuaded the workers to return, following which the convoy left Yarik for D.I. Khan.
March plan
According to the plan shared by the KP CM on X, PTI supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South and North Waziristan and Bannu will join the march from Lakki Marwat’s Gandi Chowk on Oct 4. The caravan will halt for the night near Karak, from where people will depart at 12:30pm the next day and stay overnight near Kohat. At 12pm on Oct 6, protesters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram, and Orakzai will join the convoy, which will move towards Peshawar.
The caravan will depart from Budh Bair in Peshawar on Oct 7 afternoon. “The remaining constituencies of Peshawar will join us at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza. And we will spend the night near Charsadda Interchange,” the KP CM said. They would then depart the Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm on Oct 8 after people from Charsadda and Mohmand join them.
Refraining from detailing the final leg of the trip to the federal capital, CM Afridi said the people “of entire KP” would gather at Khairabad in Nowshera on Oct 8 and spend the night there. “The next phase will be announced there.” Ahead of the march, movement on several roads in KP had been banned under Section 144, which was imposed in D.I. Khan, Hangu, Tank, and Upper and Lower South Waziristan.
Afridi assailed for using ‘state helicopter’
A special helipad was prepared near Maidadkhel for the CM and a video shared on social media earlier showed a crowd of PTI workers gathered around it as KP’s CM touched down. A video shared by the PTI on its X account showed Afridi’s convoy surrounded by a large crowd of supporters. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised Afridi for using a “state helicopter for a political march”. Calling the use of the helicopter a “violation of the Islamabad High Court’s orders”, he wrote on X, referring to a recent ruling that directed provincial governments to ensure that no government resources or machinery were used to facilitate any march or gathering.
Muhammad Irfan Mughal in D.I. Khan also
contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2026
