PTI long march day 6: Afridi heads for Charsadda and Swabi as PTI alleges abductions and Fazl's mediation is disputed

Key takeaways

• The PTI march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reached Peshawar on Thursday evening, day five, and moves on to Charsadda on day six (Friday), where Afridi is expected to share his next steps.
• PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan says rallies are planned in Mardan on 10 October and Swabi on 11 October, after which the leadership will decide what comes next. Islamabad is no longer the confirmed destination.
• PTI says several of its people were picked up by "unknown" men in the past 24 hours, including a provincial lawmaker and the head of its doctors' wing. Police say no case had been registered at the time of reporting.
• Mobile internet has been suspended in several parts of Peshawar for two days.
• The government says Maulana Fazlur Rehman is willing to help revive talks; PTI's opposition alliance says it has not been approached and calls the reports a "story".

Where the march is

The march began on 4 October in Lakki Marwat to demand the release of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. It was billed as a march on Islamabad, but its route has been changed several times.

PTI's official X account said the convoy reached Hayatabad Toll Plaza in Peshawar shortly after 6pm on Thursday. Addressing supporters, Afridi said there was "no way back" and promised that people would be "thrilled" by the plan he will announce in Swabi. Geo News reported he would set out the next course of action in Charsadda on Friday.

Afridi also repeated his attack on the federal government's counterterrorism policy. He claimed that since 2004 there have been 22 major military operations and about 14,000 intelligence-based operations in KP, and accused President Asif Ali Zardari of planning governor's rule in the province. These are his claims; we have not verified the figures.

Alleged abductions

According to Dawn and PTI:

• Abdus Salam Afridi, a PTI member of the KP Assembly, was taken at gunpoint by masked men in two cars near his home at Kuragh Chowk in Mardan, a party worker said.
• Dr Nabi Jan, provincial president of the Insaf Doctors Forum and an adviser to the KP health minister, was picked up outside the doctors' hostel at Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar. Witnesses quoted by PTI said the men were in uniform and opened fire; Dawn reports three people were injured, including a doctor.
• PTI's account also says KP Housing Minister Dr Amjad Ali was taken from his home at night. This comes from PTI and has not been independently confirmed.

Doctors' associations, including the Provincial Doctors' Association and Young Doctors' Association, have demanded the doctors' immediate release. Police in Peshawar said senior officers were at the hospital but that no case had yet been registered. No government agency has commented on the claims.

The Fazl mediation row

• Government side: a committee of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, PM's adviser Rana Sanaullah and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry met the JUI-F chief and told PM Shehbaz Sharif he was ready to play a conciliatory role, according to The Express Tribune. Fazl reportedly advised against governor's rule or an emergency in KP. A phone call between the PM and Fazl is expected.
• Opposition side: the spokesman of the opposition alliance TTAP, Akhundzada Hussain, called the reports "a story spun by the government", saying PTI leaders had only met Fazl to discuss a proposed All Parties Conference. PTI MNA Junaid Akbar said the party keeps the door open to Fazl's role.
• Opposition leaders Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas agreed that any talks must be conditional on a meeting with Imran Khan.

What to watch

• Afridi's announcement in Charsadda and the rallies in Mardan (10 Oct) and Swabi (11 Oct).
• Whether the missing PTI members are produced or released, and whether police register cases.
• A possible call between PM Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

This is a developing story. We will update it as events move.