Why Did PTI Suddenly Change Its Long March Route?
News Desk
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march has taken an unexpected turn, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announcing a change in the protest convoy’s route as the government simultaneously offered conditional talks to the opposition party.
The march, which began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 and passed through Karak and Kohat, will now head towards Khyber district before proceeding to Peshawar, according to the chief minister.
Addressing the march participants at University Chowk in Kohat, Afridi said the change was made in response to demands from residents of Khyber, who wanted to host the protesters.
He explained that the original plan was for the convoy to travel towards Peshawar before moving on to Charsadda. The route was subsequently revised after people in Khyber expressed a desire to welcome the participants.
The decision adds another stop to a protest campaign that has already passed through several districts of southern and central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Peshawar remains a key destination.
Afridi also called on PTI workers and supporters to maintain peace throughout the march. Using a cricket analogy, he described the political contest as a “Test match”, saying there were still many overs and players left in the game and that the party would proceed with patience.
The sudden route change comes at a politically significant moment, as the federal government and PTI have once again exchanged positions over the possibility of dialogue.
Speaking at an event in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government was ready to engage with the PTI, but only if the party called off its long march and sit-ins.
The prime minister said the government had initially decided to hold talks with the PTI leadership to persuade the party to abandon its protest strategy. However, he said the negotiations were derailed when demands for changes to matters that had already been agreed upon were raised during the final stages of the talks.
Sharif warned that continued politics of sit-ins and long marches could cause serious damage to the country’s economy and development. He maintained that the government would take all necessary measures under the law to protect the lives and property of citizens.
The government’s offer, however, did not immediately produce a breakthrough.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the dialogue process should never have been interrupted. He rejected the condition that the PTI must call off its long march and sit-ins before talks could resume.
Gohar said the PTI had entered negotiations with the government without imposing preconditions, but claimed that the government had failed to demonstrate the seriousness and political flexibility required to advance the talks.
He also rejected the suggestion that the failure of negotiations could be attributed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. According to Gohar, both sides need to maintain continuous and regular dialogue to address their differences and find solutions to the issues confronting the country.
The opposing positions highlight the central political impasse: the government wants the PTI’s street campaign to end before negotiations resume, while the PTI insists that dialogue should continue without making the withdrawal of its protest movement a precondition.
Against this backdrop, the decision to divert the long march towards Khyber before Peshawar has added another layer of uncertainty to the unfolding political confrontation.
Whether the route change is simply a response to local demands or becomes part of a broader strategy for the protest will become clearer as the march moves towards its next destination.
