October 10: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is due in Mardan on Saturday, its seventh day, after Afridi invited supporters from across Pakistan to gather at the Swabi Interchange on October 11, Dawn and The Nation reported. The party says it will announce its next steps at Swabi, while federal ministers have warned it not to take the march beyond the province, which PTI governs.
Key highlights
- The march began on October 4 in Lakki Marwat and is demanding the release of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, Dawn and The Express Tribune reported. Its final destination is still tentative, according to Dawn.
- In Charsadda on Friday, Afridi told supporters: “we have to go elsewhere as well after Swabi”, Dawn reported.
- PTI’s Mardan chapter has set up a campsite at the under-construction Chamtar Bus Terminal on Charsadda Road for an overnight stay, The Nation reported.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi challenged the marchers to reach Swabi and cross it, and said any decision on governor’s rule or an emergency would be taken by the president or prime minister, Dawn reported. No such decision has been announced.
- Talks between the federal government and the opposition collapsed before the march, with counterterrorism policy a key point of disagreement, according to Dawn.
The route so far, and the plan for Swabi
| Date | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| October 4 (day 1) | March starts from Gandi Chowk, Lakki Marwat | The Express Tribune |
| October 4–7 | Passes through Karak, Kohat and Khyber | Nukta |
| October 8 (day 5) | Convoy enters Peshawar | Dawn; our earlier report |
| October 9 (day 6) | Charsadda; Afridi speaks at Shabqadar Chowk and the march stays overnight | The Express Tribune, Nukta |
| October 10 (day 7) | Due in Mardan; overnight camp at Chamtar Bus Terminal | The Nation |
| October 11 | Supporters from across Pakistan called to Swabi Interchange | Dawn |
| October 13 | Convoys from Peshawar, Malakand and Kohat divisions due at Swabi | Dawn, The Express Tribune |
| October 14 | Hazara, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan convoys due; party to announce its move beyond Swabi | The Express Tribune, Nukta |
By our count, if the schedule holds, the march will have spent 11 days entirely inside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by October 14. Swabi Interchange is on the Peshawar–Islamabad motorway, which is why the party’s announcements there are being watched closely.
Where the reports differ
The schedule has changed several times, Dawn noted, and outlets have reported different dates. We list them so readers can see what is settled and what is not.
| Point | What one report says | What another says |
|---|---|---|
| Swabi gathering for supporters | October 11 (Dawn; Afridi’s Urdu post, via Nukta) | October 12 (Nukta’s English text) |
| Hazara Division | Course of action to be announced on October 13 (Dawn) | Convoys due on October 14 (The Express Tribune) |
| Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan | Will join along the CPEC route; no date given (Dawn) | Due on October 14 (The Express Tribune) |
| Final destination | Still tentative (Dawn) | “Final plan” to be unveiled in Swabi, Afridi said (The Express Tribune) |
What Afridi said
Afridi called the federal government’s warnings “empty threats” and said they “cannot harm the workers” once the march crosses the province’s boundary, Dawn reported. He told supporters in Charsadda not to fear threats against him and used a cricket metaphor: “We have played a Test match; now we have to play One-Day, T20 and T10”, The Express Tribune reported. He accused the federal government of a “regime-change operation” and of owing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa more than Rs5,000 billion under the National Finance Commission award.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, speaking at the Lahore High Court, ruled out any compromise on principles and said Punjab would send a large number of convoys, according to The Express Tribune. The party’s demands include the release of Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, and medical access for both, Nukta reported.
| Claim | Who made it | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 14,000 intelligence-based operations and 22 major military operations in KP from 2004 to 2026, without ending terrorism | Afridi (Dawn, The Express Tribune) | Afridi’s figures; not independently verified |
| Federal dues to KP of more than Rs5,000 billion under the NFC award | Afridi (The Express Tribune) | Provincial government claim; not independently verified |
| Regional trade could generate $100 billion a year in business | Afridi (The Express Tribune, Nukta) | Estimate; no basis published |
| KP lawmakers and cabinet members were “abducted” | PTI (Dawn) | Disputed by Governor Kundi, who asked Afridi to say who was responsible |
| Thousands of workers will welcome the march in Mardan | Local PTI leaders (The Nation) | Party claim; no independent count |
The federal and governor’s response
Federal ministers have warned PTI not to lead the march beyond Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, linking the dispute over counterterrorism policy to the possibility of an emergency or governor’s rule in the province, Dawn reported. Governor Kundi said doctors, teachers, nurses and municipal officers were on strike in the province and that the provincial cabinet should resign on “ethical grounds”. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused the provincial government of foiling talks, while Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari described governor’s rule in the province as an “atomic bomb”, The Express Tribune reported.
In Mardan, several senior PTI leaders have reportedly gone underground to avoid arrest and plan to appear when the march reaches the district, The Nation reported, citing local party sources. We could not independently confirm this. Our earlier report: PTI long march reaches Peshawar as the high court issues a notice to the chief minister.
What to watch
- Turnout and any arrests when the march reaches Mardan on Saturday.
- Afridi’s announcement at Swabi Interchange on October 11, and the plan for October 13 and 14.
- Whether the march tries to leave Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and how the federal government responds.
- Any move by the president or prime minister on governor’s rule or an emergency in the province.
- Whether talks between the government and the opposition resume.
What it means
For a week, the march has stayed inside a province that PTI itself governs. That has kept the risk of clashes with federal forces low, but it has also limited the pressure on Islamabad. Swabi is the turning point: the announcements there will show whether the party is willing to take the march across the provincial boundary, which the federal government has warned against, or whether it will keep the protest within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while seeking talks. The talk of governor’s rule raises the stakes for both sides, because it would put the provincial government itself at risk.
Sources
- Dawn: Afridi invites people from across country to join PTI’s long march at Swabi Interchange on Oct 11
- Dawn: Afridi-led convoy enters Peshawar as PTI long march continues for 5th day
- The Express Tribune: CM Afridi outlines long march plan till Oct 14 as convoy enters Charsadda on 6th day
- Nukta: PTI march heads towards Swabi as CM Afridi outlines next steps
- The Nation: PTI finalises arrangements for Afridi’s long march stay in Mardan
The International Desk covers world and Asian affairs, diplomacy and conflict, with a focus on what they mean for India. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
