ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR – The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi entered Peshawar on Thursday evening.
A post by the PTI’s official X account shortly after 6pm said that the Afridi-led convoy had reached Hayatabad Toll Plaza in Peshawar. It also shared pictures of hundreds of supporters gathered to welcome the KP CM.
God-willing, by the time it reaches Swabi, this caravan will become the largest long march in Pakistan’s history,” the PTI claimed. Addressing supporters at the toll plaza, KP CM Afridi urged them to maintain their determination for the struggle for true freedom. There might be some discomfort, but this pain is not greater than the pain Imran Khan is enduring in jail for us, he said. He said, we shall not hesitate to even sacrifice our life for Imran Khan.
While Afridi said he would announce the next plan of action after proceeding to other areas of Peshawar, he also said the public would be thrilled upon hearing his plan when he reaches Swabi.
In a video shared by the PTI, Afridi could be seen raising slogans of Free Imran Khan, with supporters chanting in harmony.
Ahead of the protesters’ arrival, an unannounced disruption of mobile and cellular internet services was reported since last night in several areas of the provincial capital.
Addressing PTI supporters at Bhana Mari Chowk in Peshawar, the KP CM said their next stop after Peshawar would be Charsadda, where he would share few details of the next course of action. The detailed plan, which he called a “yorker”, would be shared in Swabi.
Days after the collapse of government-opposition talks, backchannel contacts between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led ruling alliance remain active, despite concerns among some leaders of the opposition alliance.While the long march of the PTI is underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party of former prime minister Imran Khan has been kept on prolonging the duration of its protest in the province to avoid direct confrontation with the Centre and give talks another opportunity.
Some recent developments suggest that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) is likely to become part of the expected next round of dialogue. The opposition and the government have separately approached party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, urging him to help broker a deal to end the ongoing political crisis and address the threat of terrorism.The talks between the government and the opposition broke down last weekend at the final stage, with the PTI continuing its long march on Islamabad, demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan.
A PTI insider said interim party chairman Gohar Ali Khan still remains in backchannel contact with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of his efforts to find a way out of the current situation. It is because of the reason that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has been extending the duration of the march in the province and there is no clarity when the marchers would even reach Swabi— a major point from where the march would head to Islamabad.At the same time, some leaders within the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) are opposed to such contacts, arguing that any deal led by Naqvi could create the impression that the PTI has compromised on its publicly stated position regarding the establishment. For the same reason, the opposition wants to involve a senior politician such as Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the dialogue process as a mediator.
Earlier this week, senior PTI leadership and at least two members of the government negotiation team led by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had separately met with JUI-F.
