Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday launched the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad from Lakki Marwat, saying the party would “not accept” any policy that was against the interests of the people of KP.
asserted
that → launch → KP
The PTI has gone ahead with its march despite warnings from the federal government, which has vowed to prevent any violent gatherings in the capital.
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which → go → capital
The protest aims to demand the release of jailed party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
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protest → aim → Khan
By late Sunday night, the convoy led by the KP chief minister had entered Karak district and reached Hamidan Chowk.
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convoy → lead → Chowk
In a post shortly before 11pm, PTI said Afridi’s convoy was en route to Karak after the KP CM addressed supporters at a roundabout located at the border between Bannu and Karak districts.
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CM → say → districts
Earlier in the day, Afridi reached Lakki Marwat by helicopter to lead his party’s long march, which was launched from Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Indus Highway.
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which → reach → Highway
In Lakki Marwat, an AFP journalist saw thousands of people take to the streets.
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thousands → see → streets
Many of the demonstrators carried red and green flags of the PTI, and a huge billboard affixed on the side of a truck read “release Imran Khan” and featured a picture of the beaming former prime minister.
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billboard → carry → minister
Addressing thousands of participants in Lakki Marwat, Afridi urged the public to step out of their homes for the sake of Pakistan, saying Imran, along with his wife and sisters, was in prison and they should show the world that they were the “true owners” of the country.
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they → address → country
He said the “PTI’s negotiating committee had gone to Islamabad to lower the political temperature, but those making decisions behind closed doors had sabotaged the talks.
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those → say → talks
“They wanted their will to prevail in KP, but I declared that only Imran Khan’s vision and policies would be implemented here.
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vision → want → KP
We do not accept any policy that is not in the interest of the people of KP and the Pashtuns,” he maintained.
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he → accept → KP
The chief minister declared: “We are not ‘yes-men’; we are soldiers of Imran Khan, and we will carry forward his policies.”
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we → declare → policies
He repeatedly asked the crowd whether it supported a military operation, asking those opposed to it to raise their hands.
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it → ask → hands
He questioned the policy being followed to tackle terrorism, saying: “What kind of policy is this, where terrorism has persisted for 22 years?”
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terrorism → question → years
KP CM insisted there had been peace during Imran’s government because his policies were sound, but following the “regime change operation”, terrorists were resettled, leading to “infinite terrorism”.
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terrorists → insist → terrorism
In 2023, after his ouster, Imran had defended his government’s plan to resettle members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
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Imran → defend → Taliban
“We will eradicate terrorism, and if our policy is implemented, we will restore peace within 100 days,” he claimed.
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he → eradicate → days
He said the long march was being launched from Gandi Chowk and would conclude at another chowk.
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march → say → chowk
At this, the crowd shouted: “D-Chowk.”
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crowd → shout → Chowk
“We are a political force and a party, and those who dream of the demise of the PTI can never succeed,” he added.
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he → dream → PTI
Afridi said the participants would leave from Gandi Chowk and their next stop would be Karak.
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stop → say → Chowk
PTI workers had started gathering at Gandi Chowk on the Peshawar-Karachi Highway on Sunday afternoon to participate in the long march.
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workers → start → march
Strict security measures were in place, with a large police contingent deployed at the site along with armoured personnel carriers and bomb disposal squads.
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contingent → deploy → carriers
Afridi assailed for using ‘state helicopter’
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Afridi → assail → helicopter
A special helipad was prepared near Maidadkhel for Afridi and a video shared on social media platforms earlier showed a crowd of PTI workers gathered around it as KP’s chief executive touched down.
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executive → prepare → it
A video shared by the PTI on its X account showed Afridi’s convoy surrounded by a large crowd of party workers and supporters.
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convoy → share → workers
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised Afridi for using a “state helicopter for a political march”.
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Tarar → criticise → march
Calling the use of the helicopter a “violation of the Islamabad High Court’s orders”, he wrote on X, referring to a recent ruling that directed provincial governments to ensure that no government resources or machinery was used to facilitate any march or gathering.
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resources → call → march
“Terrorism is spreading in the province and Nero is playing his flute,” Tarar quipped.
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Tarar → spread → flute
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also said the use of the helicopter amounted to contempt of court by violating the IHC order.
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use → say → order
“When the chief minister himself does not uphold the court’s orders and uses state resources for political activities, what expectation can there be for his workers to abide by the law?” Kundi wrote on X.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also made a sarcastic post on X, sharing the video and saying, “Sohail Afridi sahib’s Heli ride today from Peshawar to Lakki Marwat must have been for official work, possibly related to the security situation and counterterrorism efforts.”
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ride → uphold → situation
Special Assistant to the KP CM for Home and Tribal Affairs Tariq Saad earlier told journalists at his residence that convoys from the southern KP districts would join the “peaceful long” march at Gandi Chowk.
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convoys → tell → Chowk
“If workers from some southern districts, especially Tank and Waziristan, could not attend the long march today due to law and order-related curfew and other restrictions, they would join the movement on the way to Peshawar the next day,” he said.
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he → attend → Peshawar
Gandapur convoy returns to DI Khan
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convoy → return → Khan
Earlier, PTI workers and supporters, led by former KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur, set out from Dera Ismail Khan to join the party’s long march at Lakki Marwat.
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workers → lead → Marwat
However, according to Gandapur, they were forced to return from Yarik on their way because of road blockades and the prevailing law and order situation.
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they → accord → blockades
The former KP CM insisted that the decision was taken to avoid exposing party workers to unnecessary risk, after the convoy remained stranded at Yarik for several hours.
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convoy → insist → hours
Addressing the workers at Yarik, Gandapur noted that Section 144 had been imposed in the area for three days and that the party leadership had clearly directed workers not to damage public property or engage in any activity that could worsen the situation.
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that → address → situation
Gandapur told the workers that the return should not be viewed as a withdrawal from the protest movement, but as a temporary decision based on the prevailing circumstances, the safety of the workers and the instructions of the party leadership.
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return → tell → leadership
…and 36 more, not listed.
The Aporia
