ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s main opposition party vowed on Tuesday to press ahead with an Oct. 4 march on the capital, as federal officials warned governor’s rule or emergency measures could be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party’s provincial stronghold.

The confrontation marks a fresh escalation between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which governs the northwestern province and has called the march as part of a campaign seeking the release of its jailed founder and former premier Imran Khan.

“The Oct. 4 long march will take place at all costs,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi told a press conference in Peshawar. “People will come out in large numbers and protest peacefully.”

The march was originally scheduled for Sept. 27 but PTI postponed it last week to Oct. 4, after authorities blocked major highways and deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel in and around Islamabad ahead of the planned protest.

Federal officials have since stepped up warnings that governor’s rule or an emergency could be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if circumstances warrant such a move.

“Our Constitution makes things very simple,” Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told Geo News this week. “If circumstances exist or arise where the Constitution requires governor’s rule to be imposed or an emergency declared, then it certainly can be imposed, and it will be.”

“Whatever mechanism is provided in the Constitution will be followed when required,” he added.

Federal Minister Amir Muqam has also said consultations were underway over the constitutional and legal option of governor’s rule, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has warned the provincial government against creating circumstances that could prompt the federal government to take such a step.

Under Pakistan’s constitution, the president can assume certain functions of a provincial government or have them exercised through the governor if satisfied that the government of the province cannot be carried on in accordance with constitutional provisions. Such a proclamation is subject to parliamentary approval.

The warnings mark a hardening of the federal government’s position after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said last week Islamabad had no intention of imposing governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Afridi on Tuesday accused the federal government of trying to divert attention from the planned march and warned against any attempt to obstruct protesters.

“If any adventure is attempted, there will be a public reaction,” he said, while repeatedly insisting the demonstration would remain peaceful.

“People should come unarmed on Oct. 4 and protest peacefully,” Afridi said. “If anyone is carrying anything that could cause harm, they will be apprehended and handed over to police.”

PTI’s planned march is the latest in a series of street protests demanding the release of Khan, who has been jailed since 2023 and faces multiple criminal cases. Khan and his party say the cases are politically motivated, an allegation the government denies.

PTI’s last major march on Islamabad, in November 2024, ended in clashes between protesters and security forces after demonstrators entered the capital’s heavily fortified Red Zone.

Afridi also used Tuesday’s press conference to attack the federal government’s economic record, accusing it of presiding over weak growth, rising debt and worsening poverty.

His finance adviser, Muzammil Aslam, defended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s economic performance, saying the province had increased development, health, education and policing expenditures despite limited resources and mounting security challenges.

Afridi said the political and economic criticism would not deter PTI from proceeding with the march.