PTI Delays Islamabad Long March to October 4 Amid Tight Security Restrictions

PTI has postponed its planned Islamabad long march from September 27 to October 4, citing extensive security and traffic restrictions across Punjab and Islamabad.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the postponement was a political strategy and announced that PTI supporters would travel from Peshawar on the new date. The revised schedule also coincides with Imran Khan’s October 5 birthday, which Afridi said the party would mark as a “Victory Day.”

The decision came after discussions within PTI’s political committee, while reports indicated differences over coordination with the opposition alliance, TTAP. Some opposition leaders reportedly said they had not been adequately consulted about either the original date or the postponement.

Meanwhile, the government’s security arrangements—including containers, barriers, Rangers and police deployments—are expected to remain a major logistical and financial undertaking. PTI leaders also criticised the restrictions and called for political dialogue, while government and opposition figures continued to present sharply different views on the planned march.