The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has postponed its planned long march towards Islamabad by more than a week, moving the protest from Sept 27 to Oct 4, according to a senior party leader.
The PTI had been preparing a nationwide protest and march towards the federal capital to demand the release of party founder Imran Khan, who is incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Speaking to Dawn, the senior PTI leader said the march would now begin from Peshawar on Oct 4. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would formally announce the change.
PTI Says March Delay Is Strategic
The PTI leader said the party had considered postponing the march after observing the security arrangements already put in place across Islamabad and surrounding routes.
“There was a proposal to exhaust the federal government and law enforcement agencies, as they have already closed down the federal capital and a number of routes,” he said.
The leader claimed the PTI had already achieved part of its objective because authorities had closed roads and committed substantial resources to security preparations.
He also rejected suggestions that the decision was linked to the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), which had postponed its own protest against the petroleum levy following a request from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“We are capable of arranging the march on our own,” the leader told Dawn.
The latest decision came a day after PTI lawyer and leader Naeem Haider Panjutha said the party could consider delaying the protest if the government agreed to hold elections within six to eight months, release Imran Khan and other political prisoners, and investigate the May 9 and November 26 crackdowns.
PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram, however, denied that such a proposal was being discussed at any party forum. He said only Imran Khan could make the final decision.
Security Measures Intensified
Authorities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad had already stepped up preparations ahead of the planned protest and other demonstrations.
The Punjab government imposed a 13-day ban on gatherings across the province and prohibited actions aimed at inciting people to participate in what authorities described as unlawful assemblies.
A separate Section 144 order was also imposed in Islamabad for two months, with the district administration warning citizens against participating in illegal activities.
The Punjab government additionally requested the Interior Ministry to consider downgrading or suspending mobile and internet services at selected locations in Rawalpindi and Attock on Sept 27.
The federal government also approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several Punjab districts from Sept 20 to Oct 5. According to the notification, the deployed personnel could respond in self-defence to threats or violent activity in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
Tarar Accuses KP Government of Ignoring Security
Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government during a press conference, accusing it of failing to adequately address law and order and making allegations of links with militant groups.
Tarar alleged that the provincial government had provided what he described as “full facilitation” to terrorists and called its approach to law and order evasive.
The minister also accused the KP government of having links with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA). These were allegations made by Tarar and were not independently established in the material provided.
Tarar specifically criticised Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, arguing that the provincial government should take a stronger public position following militant attacks and incidents involving cross-border fire.
He also challenged the PTI-led provincial administration to proceed with its planned protest.
Government Cites Rising Terror Attacks in KP
Tarar said the KP government was responsible for maintaining law and order within the province and cited government figures showing 2,456 terror attacks in KP during 2026, or roughly 10 attacks per day.
He further claimed that 472 police, army, Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel had been killed, while more than 1,500 people had been injured during the year.
The minister alleged that the provincial administration was failing to tackle terrorism because of what he described as a “political terror-crime nexus” involving illegal trade and mining.
The PTI and KP government have disputed the federal government’s criticism and have previously accused the centre of using security measures and legal restrictions to limit political activity.
With the long march now scheduled to begin from Peshawar on Oct 4, attention is expected to remain focused on negotiations between the federal government and PTI, as well as the security arrangements that will be in place in Islamabad and surrounding areas.
