PTI postpones planned Islamabad march to October 4

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders said the party had postponed its planned September 27 march to Islamabad until October 4, extending preparations for a protest originally intended to press for the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The reported decision came as authorities deployed security personnel and closed or restricted roads around the capital and nearby areas. Party accounts said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was expected to formally announce the change; the available reporting does not confirm that he did so. The march was planned to travel toward Islamabad from Peshawar. Party leaders and insiders gave differing explanations for the delay. One senior PTI leader said postponement would put further strain on the federal government and law-enforcement agencies after routes had been closed and security resources deployed. Other party accounts presented the move as a response to the government’s measures to prevent demonstrators from reaching the capital. The reporting does not establish a single, formally stated rationale. Authorities had prepared extensive restrictions ahead of the original date.