PTI long march heads for Islamabad: what PTI wants, what the government says, and who might mediate

Key takeaways

• PTI's "long march" started on Sunday, 4 October from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is led by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
• The main demand is the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023. PTI also wants doctors, party leaders and family to be allowed to see him.
• On 8 October, PTI's official X account streamed the convoy live as it headed towards Islamabad.
• Government–opposition talks collapsed in the early hours of 4 October. The government says its door is still open but it will not be "held hostage".
• Media reports say both sides may accept Maulana Fazlur Rehman as a mediator. This has not been confirmed on the record by Fazl, PTI or the government.

Where the march is now

The convoy left Lakki Marwat on 4 October, reached Kohat on Monday night and camped at Mattani on the outskirts of Peshawar on Tuesday before moving into Khyber district. PTI said it aimed to reach Khairabad, on the KP–Punjab border, by 8 October, where Afridi would announce the next step. PTI has named Islamabad as the final destination.

A police intelligence official told AFP, without being named, that around 1,500 vehicles and 5,000–6,000 people were travelling in the convoy inside KP. PTI says the numbers are much higher. We have not been able to verify crowd size independently.

The march was first planned for 27 September and was postponed to 4 October.

What PTI is demanding

• Release of Imran Khan.
• Access to Khan in Adiala jail for his doctors, party officials and relatives. Afridi has said he has heard Khan's health is getting worse again, and that the jail administration and the government would be responsible if anything happens to him.
• A say in counterterrorism policy for KP. Afridi says military operations in the province over two decades have not ended terrorism and claims he can bring peace "in 100 days" with his own plan.

Afridi has said that if any of his demands is shown to be unconstitutional or illegal, he will call off the march.

What the government says

• PM Shehbaz Sharif urged PTI on Tuesday to call off the march and come back to the table, and warned that harming the economy would be met with the force of law.
• Rana Sanaullah, the PM's adviser on political affairs, said "the doors for talks are open" but that PTI cannot use dialogue to strong-arm the government.
• Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed CM Afridi for "sabotaging" the talks by changing a draft agreement after points were already settled. PTI says the talks failed because the government refused to involve Imran Khan and would not agree a joint counterterrorism strategy.
• Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused the KP government of ignoring a fresh wave of terrorism in the province while marching on Islamabad.
• KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said the march would not be allowed past Attock, and that governor's rule in KP is a "last resort" option.

The mediation talk

According to Samaa TV, citing unnamed sources, both the government and PTI are open to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman acting as mediator, and he has set conditions before agreeing. On 7 October he met opposition representatives and supported an all-parties conference. He has also warned against using force to stop the march.

Fazl has not posted about a mediation role on his official X account. Treat this part as unconfirmed until he or the parties say so on the record.

What to watch next

• Afridi's announcement on the next phase of the march after Khairabad.
• Whether the government stops the convoy at the Punjab border or Attock.
• Whether Maulana Fazl formally agrees to mediate and a meeting with the PM takes place.

This is a developing story. We will update it as things change.