'We are not yes-men': CM Afridi launches PTI long march to Islamabad, convoy enters Karak district

'We are not yes-men': CM Afridi launches PTI long march to Islamabad, convoy enters Karak district.

Key points

• Ghulam Mursalin MarwatMuhammad Irfan MughalUmer FarooqAdam Khan WazirNews Desk Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 4, 2026 11: 05pm.
• After his ouster, Imran had defended his government's plan to resettle members of the Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan, in 2023.
• Earlier, PTI workers and supporters, led by former KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur, set out from Dera Ismail Khan to join the party's long march at Lakki Marwat.
• PTI workers had began gathering at Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Highway on Sunday afternoon to participate in the long march.
• Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised Afridi for using a "state helicopter for a political march".

Ghulam Mursalin MarwatMuhammad Irfan MughalUmer FarooqAdam Khan WazirNews Desk Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 4, 2026 11: 05pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

PESHAWAR/LAKKI MARWAT/DI KHAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday introduced the PTI's long march towards Islamabad from Lakki Marwat, saying the party would "not accept" any policy that was against the interests of the residents of KP.

For context, the PTI has gone ahead with its march despite warnings from the federal administration. It has vowed to prevent any violent gatherings in the capital. The protest intends to demand the release of jailed party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.

By late Sunday night, the convoy led by the KP chief minister had entered Karak district and reached Hamidan Chowk.

In a post shortly before 11pm, PTI remarked Afridi's convoy was en route to Karak after the KP CM addressed supporters at a roundabout located at the border between Bannu and Karak districts.

Earlier in the day, Afridi reached Lakki Marwat by helicopter to lead his party's long march. It was introduced from Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Indus Highway.

In Lakki Marwat, an AFP journalist saw thousands of individuals take to the streets. Plenty of of the demonstrators carried red and green flags of the PTI, and a enormous billboard affixed on the side of a truck read "release Imran Khan" and featured a picture of the beaming former prime minister.

Addressing thousands of participants in Lakki Marwat, Afridi pressed the public to step out of their homes for the sake of Pakistan, saying Imran, along with his wife and sisters, was in prison and they should show the world that they were the "true owners" of the country.

He remarked the PTI's negotiating committee had gone to Islamabad to lower the political temperature, but those making decisions behind closed doors had sabotaged the negotiations.

"They wanted their will to prevail in KP, but I declared that only Imran Khan's vision and policies would be implemented here. We do not accept any policy that is not in the interest of the individuals of KP and the Pashtuns, " he maintained.

Meanwhile, the chief minister declared: "We are not 'yes-men'; we are soldiers of Imran Khan, and we will carry forward his policies."

He repeatedly asked the crowd whether it backed a military operation, asking those resisted to it to raise their hands.

He questioned the policy being followed to tackle terrorism, saying: "What kind of policy is this, where terrorism has persisted for 22 years?"

KP CM insisted there had been peace during Imran's administration as his policies were sound, but after the "regime change operation", terrorists were resettled, leading to "infinite terrorism".

"We will eradicate terrorism, and if our policy is implemented, we will restore peace within 100 days, " he asserted.

He remarked the long march was being rolled out from Gandi Chowk and would conclude at another chowk. At this, the crowd shouted: "D-Chowk."

"We are a political force and a party, and those who dream of the demise of the PTI can never succeed, " he continued.

Afridi remarked the participants would leave from Gandi Chowk and their next stop would be Karak.

PTI workers had began gathering at Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Highway on Sunday afternoon to participate in the long march. Strict security measures were in place, with a sizeable police contingent deployed at the site along with armoured personnel carriers and bomb disposal squads. Afridi assailed for using 'state helicopter'.

Notably, a special helipad was prepared near Maidadkhel for Afridi and a video shared on social media platforms earlier indicated a crowd of PTI workers gathered around it as KP's chief executive touched down.

Meanwhile, a video shared by the PTI on its X account indicated Afridi's convoy surrounded by a substantial crowd of party workers and supporters.

Calling the employ of the helicopter a "violation of the Islamabad High Court's orders", he wrote on X, referring to a recent ruling that directed provincial governments to ensure that no administration resources or machinery was applied to facilitate any march or gathering.

"Terrorism is spreading in the province and Nero is playing his flute, " Tarar quipped.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi additionally stated the employ of the helicopter amounted to contempt of court by violating the IHC order.

"When the chief minister himself does not uphold the court's orders and uses state resources for political activities, what expectation can there be for his workers to abide by the law?" Kundi wrote on X.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi additionally produced a sarcastic post on X, sharing the video and saying, "Sohail Afridi sahib 's Heli ride today from Peshawar to Lakki Marwat must have been for official work, possibly related to the security situation and counterterrorism efforts."

Special Assistant to the KP CM for Home and Tribal Affairs Tariq Saad earlier informed journalists at his residence that convoys from the southern KP districts would join the "peaceful long" march at Gandi Chowk.

"If workers from some southern districts, especially Tank and Waziristan, could not attend the long march today due to law and order-related curfew and other restrictions, they would join the movement on the way to Peshawar the next day, " he remarked. Gandapur convoy returns to DI Khan.

Nevertheless, according to Gandapur, they were forced to return from Yarik on their way as of road blockades and the prevailing law and order situation.

After the convoy remained stranded at Yarik for a number of hours, the former KP CM insisted that the decision was taken to avoid exposing party workers to unnecessary risk.

Addressing the workers at Yarik, Gandapur observed that Section 144 had been imposed in the area for three days and that the party leadership had clearly directed workers not to damage public property or engage in any activity that could worsen the situation.

Gandapur informed the workers that the return should not be viewed as a withdrawal from the protest movement, but as a temporary decision based on the prevailing circumstances, the safety of the workers and the instructions of the party leadership.

He remarked the workers could again set out to join the long march if the situation improved or the party leadership issued fresh instructions. The PTI leader contended that if the party leadership called him again, he could reach the long march within two hours.

He emphasised that the law and order situation did not warrant keeping plenty of workers at the site overnight.

Meanwhile, the former KP CM additionally informed the workers that they could remain at Yarik if they wanted to, but he could not violate the instructions issued by the party leadership.

He stressed that the decision taken by the senior leadership was not merely a personal decision, but one that he regarded as being in line with Imran's instructions.

Taken together, the developments around ' We are not yes-men' : CM Afridi launches PTI long march to Islamabad, point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.