Brief

Sohail Afridi vows PTI march to demand Imran Khan’s release

Afridi said the march will take place on October 4, a week after the government moved to block Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s access to the capital.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:06:04 GMT

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced that the Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) will hold a protest march in Islamabad on 4 October to demand the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail for more than three years. The decision follows a series of security measures that have cut off the province from the rest of the country and the arrest of Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, in Lahore.

During a cabinet meeting in Peshawar, Afridi warned that the province would be sealed off by the federal government, saying that “no one will be able to enter or leave Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” He added that the march would not be a “surrender” but a “political strategy” and that the crowds would “not return home until their demands are met.”

Earlier this week, the government arrested Aleema Khan under the Maintenance of Public Order law, a move PTI described as illegal. The Supreme Court had ordered Khan’s transfer to Shifa Hospital, but authorities reportedly defied the order. The arrest came a week before the PTI’s planned protest, which the party had vowed to halt in response.

Afridi’s announcement comes after two of his provincial ministers were targeted in separate attacks, one surviving an assassination attempt and the other being abducted near a motorway toll plaza. The chief minister said the province would be “cut off from the rest of Pakistan,” but the rest of the country would remain open.

PTI’s mobilisation is its biggest in nearly two years. Afridi, the party’s senior‑most elected leader, has become the main organiser of the protests for Khan’s release. He said the march would take place on Sunday, 4 October, and that the day would also coincide with Khan’s birthday, which he called a “day of victory.”

Key facts

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced a PTI protest march for 4 October (aljazeera.com)
The march is to demand the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan (aljazeera.com)
Government arrested Aleema Khan under the Maintenance of Public Order law a week before the planned protest (aljazeera.com)
Two provincial ministers were targeted in separate attacks, one surviving an assassination attempt and the other abducted (aljazeera.com)

Background

The announcement follows a series of security crackdowns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the arrest of Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, in Lahore. PTI has condemned the arrest as illegal and vowed to halt the planned protest. The Supreme Court had ordered Khan’s transfer to Shifa Hospital, but authorities reportedly defied the order.

Timeline

2026-09-20 — Aleema Khan arrested in Lahore under MPO law
2026-09-26 — 11 killed in Dera Ismail Khan blast
2026-09-29 — Afridi announces PTI march for 4 October

Why it matters

The march represents a significant escalation in PTI’s campaign to free Imran Khan, potentially altering Pakistan’s political landscape and testing the government’s security response.