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CM Sohail Afridi announces long march dates, with no plans to reach Islamabad

Sajjal Jamil • October 4, 2026 • Pakistan
Sohail Afridi

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Sohail Afridi has announced the schedule for the first phase of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march, which will begin from Gandi Chawk in Lakki Marwat on October 4.

In a post on X, Afridi said the march would begin at 1pm on Sunday, October 4, with participants from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat joining the caravan. The marchers will spend the night near Karak.

According to the schedule, the people of Karak will join the march on October 5 at noon, with the caravan departing at 12:30pm and travelling towards Kohat.

On October 6, participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai will join the march. The caravan will then head towards Peshawar and spend the night near Matni.

On October 7, the march will depart from Budh Bair in Peshawar at 12:30pm, with participants from Khyber District joining there. Other constituencies of Peshawar will join at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza, before the caravan spends the night near Charsadda Interchange.

On October 8, the march will depart from Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm, with participants from Charsadda and Mohmand joining the caravan.

Afridi said people from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will gather at Khairabad on October 8, where they will spend the night. He added that the plan for the next phase of the march will be announced there.

While PTI had previously announced the long march as a march towards Islamabad, Afridi’s latest schedule outlines only the first phase up to Khairabad and does not specify a date or route to reach the federal capital.

According to sources, PTI has reportedly accepted the government’s demands, including an agreement on special administrative arrangements for the merged districts, full support for ongoing military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a commitment to refrain from further long marches or violent protests, and a pledge to focus on governance in the province.