PTI launches first phase of long march from Lakki Marwat with five-day plan to Swabi

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi launched the first phase of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s long march from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on Sunday at 1 p.m., telling supporters the protest would continue until jailed party founder Imran Khan is released, Dawn reported.

Caravans from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat converged at the launch point, with the marchers expected to halt overnight near Karak. Former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur led a caravan from DI Khan and urged participants to keep the protest peaceful and disciplined.

Afridi set out a five-day route: the caravans cross Karak and Kohat on October 5, reach Peshawar on October 6 and depart for Swabi on October 7, with all convoys gathering at Khairabad on October 8. He said the next phase of the march would be announced at Swabi, and no plan for a march on Islamabad has been announced so far, the Express Tribune reported.

The launch followed Saturday’s failed talks between the government and the opposition, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, which ended in deadlock, the Express Tribune reported.

The march, initially set for September 27, was postponed to October 4. Dawn quoted Afridi as saying the party was “not ‘yes-men’” but “soldiers of Imran Khan” who would carry forward his policies.