Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday that the party will unveil its “final plan” in Swabi, as the PTI long march entered its sixth day and reached Charsadda.
Addressing supporters in Charsadda, Afridi kept the march’s ultimate destination open but said the next decisive announcement would come from Swabi, where the party plans a major gathering. The march is demanding the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.
PTI long march: no compromise, says Raja
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who is accompanying the convoy, ruled out any compromise with the federal government and predicted a large turnout from Punjab as the march moves forward.
The convoy set out from Lakki Marwat on October 4, passed through Karak and Kohat, and reached Peshawar on day five. It is now moving through Charsadda, with public meetings planned in Mardan on October 10 and Swabi on October 11, according to PTI President Barrister Gohar Khan.
Talks remain deadlocked
The march began after three rounds of talks between the PTI and a government-PPP delegation broke down. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the talks collapsed and blamed Afridi for sabotaging them.
Raja has given a different account. He says the overnight negotiations failed because the federal government insisted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government take ownership of anti-terrorism operations the centre had started unilaterally in the province.
Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has offered to mediate between the government and the opposition, and the PTI’s K-P president Junaid Akbar says the party has authorised him to play that role.
The government has also been weighing tougher options. Adviser Rana Sanaullah said this week that governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could be avoided if the provincial government stands with federal authorities and law enforcement agencies on counterterrorism, while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called governor’s rule a last resort.
The march’s route into Peshawar on day five was preceded by reports of mobile and internet service disruptions in parts of the city, which party workers said complicated coordination of the convoys moving in from surrounding districts.
Originally reported by The News.
Frequently asked questions
Where has the PTI long march reached?
The convoy entered Charsadda on October 9, the sixth day of the march, after passing through Lakki Marwat, Karak, Kohat and Peshawar.
What is the PTI’s final plan?
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi says the party will announce its final plan in Swabi, where a major gathering is planned for October 11.
Why did the talks with the government fail?
Both sides blame each other. The government says Afridi sabotaged the talks; the PTI says the centre demanded the province own federal anti-terrorism operations in K-P.
