PTI defers Islamabad long march to October 4 as Pakistan seals off capital

Pakistan's main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has postponed its planned long march from Peshawar to Islamabad to October 4, the Chief Minister of the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sohail Afridi, told reporters on Friday.

The march had been scheduled to begin on September 27. The party says its purpose is to press for the release of its founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan, who has been in jail since 2023 and describes himself as a political prisoner. Mr. Khan, 73, a former cricket star, was removed from office by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022.

The announcement came at the end of a week in which Pakistani authorities moved to seal off the capital. Major highways leading to Islamabad were blocked with shipping containers and tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed ahead of the planned protest.

Party spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari told Reuters that although the date had been shifted to October 4, the party reserved the right to begin earlier. "We can now do it whenever we deem fit," he said. "The question is to the government, as to how long they're willing to keep the country closed off?"

Authorities have detained three of Mr. Khan's sisters and hundreds of party activists in recent days, citing the need to maintain public order. It was not immediately clear how long the restrictions on movement into the capital would remain in place.

The PTI's last large-scale protest, held about two years ago, ended in deadly clashes with security forces. That history has shaped both the party's planning and the government's security response, with each side publicly framing its position around public safety and the right to assemble.

Long marches are a familiar form of political protest in Pakistan. Parties move supporters over long distances by road to converge on the capital, a tactic used across the political spectrum over the years. Such gatherings can stretch for days and place heavy demands on transport, security and local administration.

Mr. Khan's party governed Pakistan from 2018 until his removal in 2022. Since then, he has faced a series of criminal cases and has been held in prison since 2023. He denies wrongdoing and says the cases against him are politically motivated — a claim the authorities reject.

The PTI has not said whether the October 4 date is final. Mr. Bukhari's remarks suggest the party wants to keep the government guessing about its timing, while the government has signalled it will keep security arrangements in place for as long as it considers necessary.

For ordinary residents of Islamabad and the surrounding districts, the practical effect has already been felt. Container barricades on arterial roads have slowed traffic, disrupted goods movement and forced commuters to take longer routes. Traders' associations in the region have in the past flagged losses during prolonged closures, though no fresh estimates have been released this week.

What happens next depends largely on whether the two sides can find a channel of communication. No talks have been announced. The PTI says its demand remains the release of its founder; the government says it is bound to maintain order and that it will act within the law.

For now, the capital remains under heavy guard and the march has been pushed to October 4 — a date the party itself says it may not wait for.