KP CM Convoy Moves To Kohat As PTI March Continues

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi resumed PTI’s long march on Monday after addressing supporters in Karak, with his convoy departing for Kohat as the party continued its protest campaign despite warnings from the federal government.

The march is aimed at demanding the release of jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan. The party moved ahead with the protest after weekend negotiations between the opposition and the federal government ended without agreement, with counterterrorism policy and access to Imran Khan among the main sticking points.

According to an update shared by the party after 6pm, the convoy led by Afridi was advancing from Karak towards Kohat. Earlier in the day, the chief minister addressed supporters at Jail Chowk in Karak, where he again criticised the Centre’s security policy and defended his province’s right to speak on issues affecting its people.

Afridi also responded to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s remarks calling him immature. He said that if speaking for one’s province and people was considered immaturity, then he had done so before and would continue to do so. He argued that policies made behind closed doors were affecting institutions and public trust.

The chief minister said his party was presenting public demands through democratic means, but warned that public anger could become difficult to control if the situation crossed limits. He maintained that only policies acceptable to the people and youth, and those considered in the national interest, should be implemented.

The convoy’s schedule indicates that it will stay overnight in Kohat before resuming its journey towards Peshawar at noon on October 6. It is expected to spend the night near Mattani, then move from Budh Bair on October 7 and stay near the Charsadda Interchange. The protesters are scheduled to reach Khairabad on October 8, where the next phase of the plan is expected to be announced.

The march began from Lakki Marwat on Sunday afternoon after an earlier postponement. Afridi’s caravan reached Karak at night before the latest address and onward movement. Authorities had already imposed movement restrictions on several roads in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, Tank and Hangu, under Section 144 for different periods.

Former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who was leading workers from Dera Ismail Khan to Lakki Marwat, turned back from Yarik because of road blockades and the law and order situation. He said party workers had been directed not to damage public property or take actions that could worsen conditions, while insisting the return should not be seen as withdrawal from the protest.

In Karachi, planned protest activity was disrupted after police blocked roads and deployed personnel at several points. PTI claimed that more than 75 leaders and workers, including women, were detained in Karachi, while arrests in other parts of Sindh took the overall number of detained workers in the province above 100.