Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership decided to postpone its planned long march to Islamabad until Oct. 5, according to party sources. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is expected to formally announce the decision.
PTI had announced last month that it would march to Islamabad on Sept. 27 to demand the release of party founder. The party had been preparing a main convoy from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with caravans from other parts of the country expected to join the march before heading toward the federal capital. The federal government had warned PTI against proceeding with the protest.
The decision to postpone the march was made by the party’s political committee after consultations on whether to hold it on the previously announced date of Sept. 27. Most party leaders had favored going ahead with the march as planned, but the committee ultimately agreed to delay it until Oct. 5, party sources said.
Earlier, Afridi said at a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar that the planned march would go ahead despite road blockades and other measures.
“Our long march will definitely take place. This time, we will definitely come out,” Afridi said.
The chief minister criticized the placement of nails on roads near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa boundary, saying it raised questions about whether the province was being cut off from the rest of the country.
“No matter how many nails they put in the roads, this long march will not be stopped,” he said.
