LAHORE: Lahore’s Azadi Chowk would be the first stop of the PTI long march which would begin from the provincial capital of Punjab on Friday and culminating in Islamabad.

The Imran-led party released its route map for the protest on Wednesday. As per the plan:

October 28

• Protest will kick off at 11am from Liberty Chowk in Lahore
• Ichra at 12pm
• Mazang at 1pm
• MAO College at 2pm
• Post Office at 3pm
• Data Darbar at 4pm
• Azadi Chowk at 5pm

Next stage

• Lahore
• Kamonki
• Gujranwala
• Daska
• Sialkot
• Sambrial
• Wazirabad
• Gujrat
• Lala Musa
• Kharian
• Jhelum
• Gujjar Khan
• Rawalpindi

PTI chief Imran Khan is scheduled to make a speech at Liberty Chowk on Friday. He would be accompanied by Shafqat Mehmood, Dr Murad Raas, and Haji Fayyaz.

Mehmoodur Rasheed and Afeed Siddiqi would join the party from Ichra, Aslam Baig from Mazang, Hammad Azhar from MAO College, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Zubair Niazi from Post Office, Asghar Gujjar from Data Darbar and Maher Wajid, Ibrarul Haq, Yasir Gillani, and Asif Bhindar from Azadi Chowk.

Separately, PTI leader Asad Umar also shared the route on Twitter.

“Hopefully, Imran Khan will reach Islamabad on November 4,” he said.

Sources said that the Shahdra Interchange would be the first stop of the PTI’s long march. Imran would stay in Shahdra after his address. The protest would continue from here on Saturday.

The next stage would be Gujrat on Sunday where Punjab CM Pervez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi would welcome the long march.

The stop of the march will be at Sarai Alamgir between Gujrat and Jhelum

On Monday, the long march will proceed towards its next destination, Jhelum. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry will host a long march in Jhelum. Imran would encamp in Rawat on his way from Gujar Khan on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the strategy for advancing towards Islamabad will be formulated. Caravans from North and South Punjab will participate in Rawat.

Imran while addressing a press conference in Lahore on Tuesday assured that his party’s long march would be peaceful and the party would not break any law. “The march will pass through the GT Road and the people will join it.”

But, the government was all set to block the PTI from “storming Islamabad”. Heavy contingents of the Sindh police and Frontier Corps (FC) have arrived in the federal capital.

As per the reports, almost 6,000 personnel of the Sindh police and 90 platoons of FC have touched down in the federal capital ahead of the PTI looming long march.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has advised the PTI to return to Parliament and to have consultation and dialogue on Imran Khan’s demand for early elections.

But, he also warned the PTI of a “befitting reply” if it marched towards Islamabad with the aim to dislodge the coalition government.