• Maintains PTI will not be intimidated; protesters to converge in Swabi before marching on capital
• Says other party leaders might be talking to govt, but he has been ‘tasked with resistance’
• Kundi says governor’s rule can be imposed if unrest escalates; grills provincial govt for ignoring security crisis
PESHAWAR / DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday said the PTI would march on Islamabad on Oct 4 against all odds, as Governor Faisal Karim Kundi once again rattled the sabre of governor’s rule, warning that the federal government could intervene if political unrest escalated.
At a press conference in Peshawar, Mr Afridi said the protest march would be held in two phases: first to Swabi at the Punjab border, then towards the federal capital.
He claimed an “unprecedented” number of people would join the protest and warned the government against any misadventure. The KP CM also alleged that the PML-N was orchestrating a conspiracy to “sow chaos” in the country. “We are peaceful, and our workers will be unarmed,” he reiterated.
He did not rule out backdoor contacts with the government, saying that the party leaders might have such engagements, but he was tasked with leading the resistance. To another question, he said he had attended the Provincial Apex Committee’s first meeting, and since its decisions were not implemented, there was no need for another such meeting.
Separately, addressing the inauguration of a new bus service for women, CM Afridi said the PTI would not be intimidated by threats or conspiracies, nor would it retreat from the objectives.
“We came into government through a public mandate. Every step we take and every policy we pursue is for the welfare of the people, and we will not accept any policy or measure that runs counter to public welfare,” the chief minister said.
The establishment of lasting peace in the province was a top priority of the provincial government, he said, adding that those making decisions behind closed doors and those who had turned the province into an ‘experimental ground’ would be brought to the table.
“Our people are suffering and the blood of our people is being shed. This cannot continue,” he added.
Interestingly, PTI spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai, in a letter to the party’s chairperson Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, asked him to put off the proposed march in the interest of the party.
The letter, written after the postponement of the Sept 27 protest, noted that either the party would have to clash with the state or pave the way for dialogue like a mature political party.
CM Afridi, however, told reporters that the letter could be torn up and thrown into the trash.
Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi once again warned the provincial government that governor’s rule or an ‘emergency’ could be imposed in the province.
Speaking to journalists in Dera Ismail Khan, Mr Kundi said he regularly briefed the president on the situation in the province. “I keep my president informed about the situation in KP. Whatever decision he takes will be implemented,” he said.
The governor also criticised the PTI for announcing its long march on Islamabad for Oct 4, saying those calling for the march should “cross Swabi” first.
He warned action would be taken against anyone who took the law into their own hands.
The governor said KP was facing serious security challenges and called for collective efforts to combat terrorism. He criticised the provincial government for focusing on political confrontation and long marches instead of addressing the security situation.
Mr Kundi said the governor’s rule could be imposed if the president and the prime minister deemed it necessary.
Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026
