PTI Postpones Islamabad March to October 4 as Government Measures Draw Reactions

ISLAMABAD, — September 25, 2026 — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has postponed its planned September 27 long march to Islamabad and announced that the mobilisation will now begin from Peshawar on October 4. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the decision was unanimously taken by the party's political committee after discussions over the political and security situation. (Reuters) (Internazionale)

Afridi said the march would proceed despite the postponement and described the PTI's stated objectives as the supremacy of the Constitution, an independent judiciary, media freedom and what the party calls “Haqiqi Azadi.” He also said October 5, the birthday of PTI founder Imran Khan, would be observed during the mobilisation. (Dawn) (Dawn)

The announcement came after several days of uncertainty inside PTI. Earlier on Friday, party leaders had given conflicting statements about whether the September 27 plan would proceed. PTI's KP information secretary had said the march was still on, while reports from party meetings indicated that postponement was being discussed because of road closures and security measures around Islamabad. (Geo News) (Geo News)

The federal government's preparations had already significantly affected movement around the capital. Major routes were blocked with containers, while Rangers were authorised for deployment in Islamabad and several districts of Punjab through October 5. Reuters reported that authorities had also detained hundreds of PTI activists in recent days. (Reuters) (Internazionale)

In Rawalpindi Division, more than 150 PTI leaders and workers were reported detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance. Police also began door-to-door searches and prepared additional deployments ahead of the originally scheduled march. (Dawn) (Dawn)

The postponement drew contrasting political reactions. Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar challenged PTI to proceed with a sit-in or long march, while KP Information Minister Shafi Jan responded that PTI would come “on its own terms.” The exchange reflected the continuing dispute between the federal government and PTI over the protest and its handling. (UrduPoint) (UrduPoint)

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, meanwhile, has called for dialogue and said political disputes should be addressed through negotiations rather than confrontation between protesters and law-enforcement personnel. He had also urged authorities not to use force against political workers. (Business Recorder; Dunya News) (Business Recorder)

Social-media discussion has remained divided. Pakistan's X trends on Friday included both the pro-PTI hashtag #ستمبر27_عوام_تو_نکلے_گی and hashtags critical of PTI and the KP government, including #BanPTI and #KPgovtDestroyingPolice. The simultaneous appearance of competing hashtags shows that the protest remains a highly polarising subject online rather than reflecting a single public reaction. (Trends24) (trends24)

The next major stage of the PTI mobilisation is now scheduled for October 4, when the party says its convoy will leave Peshawar for Islamabad. The political situation remains fluid, with PTI continuing to demand the release of Imran Khan and the government maintaining security measures around the capital. (Reuters; Dawn) (Internazionale)