Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has postponed its planned march on Islamabad from September 27 to October 4, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi saying the party’s political committee unanimously agreed to the new date.
Afridi announced the decision at a press conference in Peshawar after a meeting of the political committee. He said the march would now begin from Peshawar on October 4 and that the party’s allies had been informed.
The decision resolves several days of uncertainty over whether PTI would proceed with the September 27 plan as scheduled. Party figures had previously given differing signals about the possibility of a delay while maintaining that the protest campaign would continue.
March shifted after political committee meeting
According to Afridi, the political committee discussed the situation before agreeing unanimously to postpone the march. PTI has linked the protest campaign to demands including the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who remains incarcerated at Adiala jail.
The postponement comes after authorities made extensive security preparations ahead of the original date. Roads and routes leading towards Islamabad and Rawalpindi had faced restrictions as the government sought to prevent disruption in the federal capital.
Reports have attributed the delay to a combination of logistical and political considerations. Dawn, citing party insiders, reported concerns over preparedness, transport and equipment needed to overcome road blockades. Those explanations have not been presented by PTI’s political committee as an official account of why the date was changed.
Afridi had earlier maintained that the party intended to press ahead with the protest despite security measures. His later announcement confirmed that the march itself had not been abandoned but rescheduled.
Political confrontation remains unresolved
The change of date does not resolve the broader confrontation between the government and the opposition party. PTI continues to demand Imran Khan’s release and has maintained pressure through protests and political mobilisation, while the government has said demonstrations will not be allowed to block roads or disrupt normal activity in the capital.
The next test will be whether the October 4 march proceeds on the revised timetable and how the authorities respond as the new date approaches.
The postponement is nevertheless a material change from the position earlier in the week: the September 27 march is no longer going ahead as scheduled, and PTI has formally shifted its mobilisation to October 4.