PESHAWAR, 4 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has announced that the first phase of the long march will begin today, Sunday, October 4, from Gundi Chowk in Lakki Marwat, with people from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South and North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat expected to participate. Sohail Afridi said the long march convoy would depart from Gundi Chowk at 1pm and reach Karak at night, where participants would set up camp. He added that at 12 noon on Monday, October 5, the people of Karak would join the long march and further strengthen the convoy heading towards the federal capital. The announcement comes as the federal government and opposition have made progress in negotiations aimed at reducing political tensions. A joint declaration was prepared following the second round of talks held in Islamabad on Saturday, October 3. The meeting, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, was attended by representatives of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the opposition alliance. The talks were held amid growing pressure to resolve differences over the opposition’s planned long march to Islamabad.