PTI Long March Begins After Talks With Govt Collapse

Key takeaways

PTI launched its long march from Lakki Marwat on October 4 after talks with the federal government collapsed. The multi-day route crosses Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reaching Khairabad on October 8, where the next phase will be announced.

Illustration: WHAT TODAY?

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf launched the first phase of its long march from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, October 4, hours after a second round of talks with the federal government ended without agreement. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi led the caravan as it set off at 1pm from Gandi Chowk, where convoys from surrounding districts had gathered.

Talks collapse in the early hours

The negotiations, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq at Parliament House, ran into the early hours of Sunday before breaking down, according to earlier coverage of the talks. PTI insisted its representatives be allowed to meet jailed founder Imran Khan — including access for his personal physicians and visitation requests involving Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi — before agreeing to withdraw the protest. The government demanded the march be called off and pressed the KP government for written assurances of cooperation with security forces in the fight against terrorism. A draft agreement was altered four times after an initial consensus, PPP negotiator Sherry Rehman said, per Dawn reporting cited by Zark News.

Government officials say protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad and that matters related to the courts — including Khan’s release — must go through the judicial system. Federal figures have also raised the possibility of emergency or Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if the provincial government does not cooperate on security, a move PTI has rejected. Authorities have deployed tens of thousands of police, blocked major highways and issued arrest warrants against PTI leaders, according to Firstpost.

The route: five days across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

According to the schedule published by Afridi, the march opened on October 4 at 1pm from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat, with caravans from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South and North Waziristan and Bannu joining before a night halt near Karak. On October 5, participants from Karak join at noon and the caravan departs at 12:30pm, spending the night near Kohat. On October 6, contingents from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai join at noon as the procession moves toward Peshawar and rests near Matni. On October 7, it departs Budh Bair in Peshawar at 12:30pm — with Khyber district joining there and other Peshawar contingents at the Kohat Road Bridge and Motorway Toll Plaza — before an overnight halt near the Charsadda Interchange. On October 8, the caravan leaves the Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm, gathers support from Charsadda and Mohmand, and converges at Khairabad, where the next phase will be announced.

“This march will change Pakistan’s destiny,” Afridi told supporters ahead of the launch, according to the Hindustan Times.

Why it matters

The collapse of the talks and the launch of the march deepen the standoff between the federal government and the PTI-led KP administration in the party’s largest street mobilisation in some time. With authorities sealing routes into Islamabad and warning of a hard response, the risk of confrontation along the march corridor is high, alongside disruption to travel and commerce across KP. The dispute over counterterrorism cooperation has also put the provincial government’s standing directly at issue.

What’s next

Attention now shifts to Khairabad on October 8, when the caravans converge and PTI announces the next phase. The march was originally announced as heading for Islamabad, which the government has said it will not allow protesters to enter. A third round of talks has not been ruled out, but with the government insisting the march be called off first and PTI refusing to commit before meeting Khan, the gap looks wider than before.