PTI reaffirms September 27 Islamabad march, directs workers to avoid weapons

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reaffirmed its decision to proceed with its planned September 27 long march towards Islamabad,

PESHAWAR, September 24, 2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reaffirmed its decision to proceed with its planned September 27 long march towards Islamabad, directing party workers to avoid carrying sticks, slingshots or any type of weapon during the protest.

PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Secretary Shaukat Yousafzai said the party would proceed with the march despite obstacles and that participants had been instructed to maintain peace throughout the demonstration.

Yousafzai said a party meeting had been held to discuss and finalise the strategy for the September 27 march. According to him, the participants reached a consensus that the programme would go ahead as planned.

He said that anyone found carrying sticks, slingshots or weapons would have no association with the party. Yousafzai added that the party intended to reach Islamabad and, if stopped at any point, would sit there and continue its protest peacefully.

The PTI has said the planned mobilisation is aimed at demanding the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan and what the party describes as the restoration of constitutional supremacy.

PTI central spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram also confirmed that an online meeting had been held to discuss preparations for the September 27 protest. He said no participant had proposed postponing the march during the meeting.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan also spoke about the preparations and called for dialogue rather than the use of force against political protesters. He said net launchers should not be used against people participating in political demonstrations and that their grievances should instead be heard and addressed through dialogue.

Gohar maintained that the party had announced its programme well in advance and that there was currently no plan to alter it.

He also expressed support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying that Afridi would continue to serve as chief minister and had the backing of the party leadership and members. Gohar also met Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to discuss preparations and strategy for the upcoming march.

‘We will protest’

Addressing a law and order meeting in Peshawar, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the people and police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been facing terrorism for more than two decades.

Afridi said the sacrifices made by the provincial police and citizens had contributed to maintaining peace in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other parts of the country between 2018 and 2022.

The chief minister highlighted his government’s spending on the provincial police, claiming that Rs35 billion had been provided in additional funding beyond the annual police budget during the previous year. He said the police budget had subsequently been increased from Rs80 billion to Rs190 billion.

Afridi also said modern armoured personnel carriers prepared for use in Islamabad had been handed over, while the KP Police itself had not received modern APCs.

He maintained that since assuming office, he had not issued any unlawful, politically motivated or revenge-driven orders to police officials, nor directed them to register false FIRs.

Responding to concerns surrounding the march, Afridi said PTI was planning a peaceful political protest rather than an armed confrontation or attack.

He further said that if federal institutions were used for what he described as political revenge, the provincial government would take measures of its own.

Afridi maintained that the right to peaceful assembly was protected by the Constitution and said PTI would continue to protest while that constitutional right remained in place.

The September 27 mobilisation is taking place amid heightened security preparations in Islamabad and surrounding areas, with authorities taking measures ahead of the planned march.