What Is Behind PTI’s “New Strategy” for Long March?

News Desk 

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march, which began on October 4, has entered Peshawar from Khyber district, bringing the party’s escalating political campaign deeper into the provincial capital as anticipation builds over its next move.

The march, led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, reached Peshawar after passing through Khyber district. Afridi has said that the party’s next strategy will be unveiled once the procession reaches Swabi, keeping the details of the campaign’s next phase under wraps for now.

According to sources, the march is scheduled to leave from the Hayatabad Toll Plaza in Tehsil Pushtakhara at around noon. From there, participants will move through several major points in the city, including Bhana Mari Chungi, Kohati Chowk, Jameel Chowk, Pirzakori Bridge and Kabootar Chowk, before reaching Charsadda Road between 8:30pm and 9pm.

The procession is expected to resume from Charsadda Road the following morning before moving into Charsadda district.

Peshawar prepares for the march

The arrival of the large political gathering has already begun affecting daily life in the city.

Several private educational institutions in Peshawar have announced closures, with school administrations informing parents of the decision by telephone on Wednesday evening. No official announcement regarding the closure of government schools has been reported so far.

At the same time, residents in several parts of the city have reported disruptions to mobile phone services. Authorities, however, have yet to officially confirm or deny the reports.

Afridi hints at a new political phase

Speaking to participants at the historic Bara Bazaar in Khyber district, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi presented the march as the beginning of a potentially significant new phase in PTI’s political campaign.

He said the party would reveal its “final strategy” after the march reaches Swabi, describing the decision to keep the plans confidential as a source of concern for the party’s political opponents.

Afridi also rejected the idea that the current political contest would follow a predetermined script, saying there would be no “fixed match” this time. Instead, he said, PTI would adopt a new strategy as circumstances evolved and would continue moving forward on a day-to-day basis.

The chief minister claimed that the anticipated public gathering in Swabi would mark the start of a new chapter in the country’s political landscape.

Despite the increasingly confrontational political rhetoric, Afridi assured supporters that the long march would remain peaceful. He said participants would not engage in unconstitutional or illegal activities.

PTI’s demands

The march is centred on seven core demands put forward by PTI.

Among the party’s key demands are immediate medical treatment, access to legal counsel and family meetings for PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The party is also calling for the speedy resolution of pending court cases.

Another major demand concerns security policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with PTI seeking a new framework between the federal and provincial governments aimed at improving law and order and addressing the province’s security challenges.

Government raises alarm

The federal government, meanwhile, has taken a sharply different view of the provincial government’s approach.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry warned that the conduct of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi could create circumstances leading to the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chaudhry said the federal government did not want to impose emergency rule in the province but argued that responsibility would ultimately rest with the chief minister if such a situation arose.

The minister accused Afridi of failing to cooperate with the government’s efforts against extremism and pointed to his reported refusal to implement the federal government’s counterterrorism policy as a particularly serious concern.

With the march now inside Peshawar and its next major destination set to be Swabi, the political confrontation between the PTI-led provincial government and the federal authorities appears to be entering a more consequential phase.

For now, the party’s next move remains closely guarded—but the journey towards Swabi may provide the first clear indication of how far PTI intends to take its latest political campaign.