Will not allow military operations, KP CM tells march participants in Khyber

Will not allow military operations, KP CM tells march participants in Khyber.

Key points

• News Desk Published October 7, 2026 Updated October 8, 2026 12: 02am.
• PTI MNA Sajid Khan Mohmand informed Dawn that the CM would reach Mohmand on Oct 9 and address a gathering at Mian Mandi Bazaar on Oct 10.
• Khyber is additionally home to Tirah, whose residents had agreed to vacate their homes to facilitate a military operation against terrorists in December 2025.
• The march was confirmed as part of the PTI's nationwide protest, initially scheduled for Sept 27 but was afterwards postponed to Oct 4.
• But a member of the PTI's social media team, Omar Farooq, informed Dawn that the final destination remained tentative for now.

News Desk Published October 7, 2026 Updated October 8, 2026 12: 02am. Join our Whatsapp Channel.

Notably, the PTI convoy led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi reached the Khyber district on Wednesday with the provincial chief executive vowing that he would not allow another military operation in KP.

In practice, the route plan for the march, being carried out to demand the release of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, has been changing since it began.

Meanwhile, the PTI earlier planned that the chief minister would lead his convoy to Khairabad – which borders Punjab's Attock – on Oct 8 and announce the next plan of action.

Nevertheless, according to a statement issued by CM Afridi's office, he informed the protesters in Khyber today that the long march would now go all the way to Swabi, where he would announce the next plan of action.

According to He additionally, the march will reach Peshawar on Thursday and spend the night tomorrow in Charsadda. The plan was additionally shared by the focal person to the chief minister on social media, Yar Muhammad Khan Niazi.

Meanwhile, the march was confirmed as part of the PTI's nationwide protest, initially scheduled for Sept 27 but was afterwards postponed to Oct 4.

On Oct 4, the march began from Lakki Marwat and Karak, from where the protesters trekked to Kohat on the second day and arrived in Mattani, located on the outskirts of Peshawar, on Tuesday night.

While the plan for the trek after Oct 8 is yet to be confirmed, the PTI previously unveiled Islamabad as its final destination.

For context, the Centre has cautioned the party against any protest or gatherings in Islamabad. Nevertheless, the PTI decided to embark on the march after weekend negotiations with the federal administration to bridge their differences failed for multiple reasons, particularly over the counterterrorism policy.

While speaking on Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath ', KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi again challenged the PTI today to go through Swabi, saying, "Let them cross through Swabi and show us". Afridi decries military operations.

"I will not allow another military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; I will resist anti-people policies till I am the chief minister, " Afridi remarked while addressing PTI supporters in Khyber.

In recent months, the displaced families have expressed reservations over the government's fulfilment of commitments after their displacement, including the provision of financial assistance.

In practice, the KP administration, led by the PTI, has additionally been resisted to military operations in the province. Now, it additionally finds itself at odds with the Centre over the latter's counterterrorism policy – a sticking point that is stated to have led to the breakdown of negotiations between the federal administration and the opposition in the Centre, including the PTI.

Mentioning those discussions, the KP chief minister alleged in his address that attempts were produced to compel the provincial administration to sign up for another military operation, according to a statement issued by his office. "But I will never become a part of this policy, " he asserted.

"The people of Tirah were displaced in extreme winter, " he remarked, and went on without naming anyone that "they did not have any realisation of the hardships faced by the people".

CM Afridi asserted that residents were happy in tribal areas before military operations, recalling that PTI founder and ex-prime minister Imran Khan had been voicing opposition to those operations since 2004.

He additionally decried what he described as the provision of insufficient funds for erstwhile tribal areas by the Centre, claiming that his administration had published Rs21 billion for families affected by military operations.

Noting that the KP administration was being accused of not cooperating on counter-terrorism, he argued that terrorism was additionally prevalent in Balochistan, where the provincial administration was cooperating with the Centre.

After their merger with KP, he reiterated his allegation that the Centre had not published the funds allocated for the erstwhile tribal areas, including Khyber. Extra input from Mohammad Ashfaq and Fauzee Khan.

Taken together, the developments around will not allow military operations, KP CM tells march participants in Khyber point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.