PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, will leave Charsadda for Mardan on Saturday, with participants expected to stay overnight in the city, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan said.
Jan said the march was proceeding peacefully and that large numbers of people and party workers from Charsadda, Mardan and other areas were expected to join the convoy during the day.
Afridi will address residents and party workers at different locations along the route, the provincial information minister said.
Jan claimed that the public response to the march had unsettled the federal government, alleging that repeated press conferences by federal ministers reflected their “fear and confusion”. He also accused the Centre of being apprehensive about Afridi, whom he described as the elected chief minister representing the province’s 45 million people.
The minister further claimed that the federal government had lost public support and that people had rejected its ministers’ criticism of the march. These were Jan’s political claims and were not independently verified.
PTI revises march schedule, sets October 14 departure from Swabi
The long march entered its seventh day on Saturday, following its launch in Lakki Marwat on October 4. According to the earlier schedule announced by Afridi, the convoy was to proceed through Charsadda to Mardan, where participants would spend the night.
Under the revised plan, PTI workers and leaders from across Pakistan are expected to gather at Swabi Interchange on October 11. Participants from different divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will arrive in phases before the march moves forward from Swabi on October 14.
Workers from Peshawar, Malakand and Kohat divisions, including Karak, are scheduled to reach Swabi on October 13. Participants from Hazara, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions are expected on October 14.
The party leadership is expected to announce the next course of action from Swabi. Parliamentarians and party office-bearers have been directed to make arrangements for workers arriving at the interchange.
The march has so far passed through Karak, Kohat, Khyber and Peshawar, according to the party.
PTI leaders meet in Peshawar
Separately, a meeting of PTI’s senior leadership was held at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar under Afridi’s chairmanship, party sources said.
The meeting discussed the country’s political situation, the long march and other important matters, according to the sources.
Those attending included PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja, provincial party president Junaid Akbar Khan and Shahid Khattak, among others.
KP governor criticises march, urges focus on security
Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has criticised the long march, describing it as a “circus” and challenging its participants to cross Swabi.
Speaking at a press conference at Governor House on Friday, Kundi claimed PTI workers were reluctant to advance through Swabi. He urged Afridi to focus on governance and the province’s security situation rather than leading the march.
Kundi said he would respond if protesters attempted to surround Governor House. He also questioned the provincial government’s counterterrorism approach, alleging that the chief minister lacked a clear plan to tackle the threat.
The governor defended his meeting with the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police, which Afridi had described as unconstitutional. Kundi said law and order concerns required attention regardless of the march and highlighted what he described as resource shortages facing the provincial police.
He vowed to continue holding meetings on security and urged the provincial government to prioritise administrative responsibilities and counterterrorism.
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