Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march towards Islamabad has begun from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat under the leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
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PTI leader Junaid Akbar and other party leaders are accompanying Afridi as the procession moves towards its next destinations.
Speaking to participants before the march, Afridi said the caravan would reach Khairabad on October 8, where the party would announce its next course of action.
Addressing the participants, the KP chief minister claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had remained peaceful during PTI’s tenure but was now facing unrest because of what he described as the “wrong policies” of the current authorities.
Afridi alleged that the authorities were not serious about restoring peace in the province.
He also claimed that the policy proposed by PTI could restore peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across Pakistan within 100 days.
These statements represent the chief minister’s position on the security situation and the policies of the current authorities.
The march follows a deadlock in negotiations between the federal government and PTI over the party’s planned protest and several outstanding demands.
The disagreements reportedly included access to PTI founder Imran Khan, arrangements concerning his health and medical treatment, and cooperation between the federal and provincial governments on counterterrorism measures.
PTI leaders have maintained that the party will not call off the march without a meeting with Imran Khan. Government representatives, meanwhile, have raised concerns about the planned protest and the need for cooperation on security matters.
According to the schedule announced by Afridi, participants from different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are expected to join the procession as it moves through the province.
The caravans are scheduled to travel through areas including Karak, Kohat and Peshawar before assembling at Khairabad on October 8.
Afridi said the party would announce its next strategy at Khairabad, leaving the subsequent direction of the march dependent on developments over the coming days.
