PTI changes the march route as KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leads the convoy towards Khyber before its planned return towards Peshawar.
WEB DESK: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march entered its fourth day on Wednesday as the party changed its route and moved towards Khyber before proceeding towards Peshawar.
The march is being led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, with PTI saying the protest will continue amid an unresolved political standoff with the federal government.
March changes route towards Khyber
The PTI convoy had initially planned to move towards Peshawar after reaching Mattani. The party subsequently announced that it would first head towards Khyber before returning towards Peshawar.
Afridi had described the route change as part of the party’s strategy while addressing supporters during the third day of the march in Kohat.
The convoy was reported to have moved from Kohat towards Mattani on Wednesday before heading towards Khyber. The route is part of a broader schedule announced by the provincial government and PTI leadership for the march.
According to the schedule previously announced by Afridi, participants from Khyber district were expected to join the march as it moved out of the Peshawar area. The caravan was then scheduled to continue towards Charsadda and later Khairabad.
Afridi continues to lead protest
Afridi has repeatedly said that the march will continue and has opposed policies concerning military operations and security in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
While addressing supporters in Khyber, he said he would not allow another military operation in the province and pledged to resist what he described as anti-people policies. His comments were made in the context of the ongoing dispute over security policy in the province.
The chief minister has also rejected suggestions of governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, maintaining that the provincial government should determine policies affecting the province.
PTI says march will continue
PTI’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa leadership has maintained that the march will not be called off because of pressure from the federal government.
Party spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai said only jailed PTI founder Imran Khan could decide the fate of the march. He also criticised government calls for dialogue, saying the opposition’s demands needed to be addressed.
The march began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 after talks between the federal government and PTI failed to resolve differences over the protest and security policy in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Reuters reported that the march was initially aimed at Islamabad and that the government had deployed security measures around the capital.
Government-PTI standoff continues
The long march comes amid heightened tensions between the federal government and PTI.
Government officials have said they will not accept demands made through what they describe as pressure or political instability. PTI, meanwhile, has continued to insist on its demands and maintained that access to Imran Khan is an important issue in the political dispute.
The government has also been seeking PTI cooperation over counterterrorism measures in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while the two sides have disagreed over the province’s security strategy. Reuters reported that negotiations broke down before the launch of the march.
