PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD – As PTI long march pushes along Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Karak has gone unusually quiet. Mobile phone and internet services have been suspended across the district, just as the political caravan moves toward its next destination.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march, started from southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, enters its next phase on the road to Islamabad. Led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the march started from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on Sunday and travelled nearly 80 kilometres before reaching Karak late at night, where thousands of participants spent the night at a large camp established at Jail Chowk.
The march is being held to press for the release of jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, with thousands of supporters taking to the roads in a mobilisation that the party says will eventually take its supporters towards the federal capital.
The first leg saw supporters arrive from Bannu, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Tank and surrounding districts. Participants also came from Dera Ismail Khan, while convoys travelling from Balochistan through Zhob joined the procession at Yarik, after negotiating roadblocks along the route.
A convoy associated with former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, however, failed to reach the main procession on schedule amid roadblocks and security concerns.
By late Sunday, the main convoy had entered Karak and reached the Hamidan Chowk area before moving towards its overnight stop. A large protest camp was established at Jail Chowk, Karak, where demonstrators remained through the night.
The march is expected to move onwards towards Kohat, although local officials said the exact departure time from Karak remained uncertain despite an earlier schedule for a noon departure. But the journey is taking place under an increasingly tense security environment.
Mobile networks shut down
Authorities have suspended mobile phone and mobile internet services across Karak and surrounding areas, citing security and administrative requirements. Section 144 restrictions have been imposed in several districts along parts of the route, restricting movement on specified roads and citing law-and-order and public-safety concerns.
The restrictions have added another layer of uncertainty to a march already moving through areas facing significant security challenges.
According to the PTI’s announced roadmap, the caravan is scheduled to spend Monday night at Lachi Ground near Kohat. On October 6, participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai are expected to join the procession before it moves towards Peshawar.
The convoy is then scheduled to spend the night at Matni, around 30 kilometres from Peshawar. The march will subsequently move through Budh Bair, with supporters from different parts of Peshawar expected to join at the Kohat Road Bridge and motorway toll plaza. The next overnight stop is planned near Charsadda Interchange.
On October 8, the PTI plans to bring supporters from Charsadda and Mohmand into the procession. The party’s roadmap envisages convoys from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa converging at Khairabad, where participants will spend the night.
While PTI caravan pushes north-east, authorities are preparing for the possibility of a major confrontation. Large numbers of shipping containers have been positioned around Attock and Taxila, while materials including soil- and stone-filled bags have reportedly been gathered to block roads. Security has also been tightened along potential routes towards Islamabad.
Authorities have previously blocked key approaches to the capital, including the Attock Bridge, while containers and other barriers have been deployed along routes expected to be used by PTI supporters.
The federal government has warned that protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad, while PTI leaders have continued to insist that their political struggle is constitutional and peaceful.
Government-opposition negotiations aimed at preventing the protest broke down shortly before the procession began. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused the KP chief minister of undermining the negotiations, while the PTI maintained its political demands and proceeded with the march.
