What happened
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information and Public Relations Minister Shafi Jan announced on Saturday, 8 August 2026, that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold a long march towards Islamabad on 27 September, saying the decision was taken in consultation with the party’s allies.
In a statement posted on X, Jan said the decision had been reached through mutual consultation between the party and its allies, and that PTI remained in contact with religious political parties about the planned protest. He said the “Islamabad Long March” would not be limited to a single day and could take several days.
The plan
Jan said the party would head towards the federal capital with “full preparation”. He said PTI had exhausted all constitutional and legal avenues to secure what he described as the basic rights of the party’s founder, Imran Khan. “Imran Khan’s constitutional and legal rights have been usurped; we have no path left except the long march,” he said.
He said PTI was mobilising supporters in Punjab and other provinces and announced a series of seminars at universities, with the party’s youth taking a leading role. He invited political parties opposed to the federal government to join the movement and urged the Pakistan Peoples Party to quit the government and join the opposition.
Why it matters
The announcement came a day after PTI observed a “Black Day” marking the third anniversary of Imran Khan’s imprisonment, with nationwide protests demanding his release and that of his wife, restoration of constitutional rule, relief from inflation, the return of what the party calls its public mandate, and the restoration of democracy.
Khan was removed as prime minister by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April 2022 and has been imprisoned since August 2023, when he was detained in the Al-Qadir Trust case. He and Bushra Bibi were convicted on 20 December 2025 to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case. Khan also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act over the May 2023 protests.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 8 August 2026. Statements about the march and the reasons for it are attributed to the PTI minister.
- The Express Tribune — "PTI decided to hold long march towards Islamabad on Sept 27 after consulting allies: K-P info minister"8 August 2026 · The march announcement, the mobilisation plan and the context of Imran Khan's imprisonment.
