Pakistan is bracing for a protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party after talks between the government and opposition failed to break the deadlock. The party has announced that its planned long march towards Islamabad will go ahead.
The second round of talks between government negotiators and Khan’s party leaders began at 4 pm on Saturday and continued through the night before ending early Sunday without an agreement. The PTI had initially announced plans for a long march to Islamabad on September 27. The protest was later postponed to October 4 after the federal government took measures to prevent the demonstration.
Talks fail over meeting with Imran Khan
One of the key demands of the PTI is an immediate meeting with its jailed founder Imran Khan, along with access to a hospital where his personal doctors can examine him. The 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has been incarcerated since 2023 following his conviction in a corruption case. He is currently lodged at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
The party has also demanded the release of Khan’s sisters and others arrested ahead of the planned protest. It has sought a proper medical check-up for Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and demanded that their cases be heard properly without interference. The second round of talks reportedly failed over access to Khan. According to sources, the government insisted that the PTI first announce the cancellation of the protest, after which the issue of a meeting with Khan would be decided. The party, however, demanded a meeting with its jailed founder before taking a decision on whether to call off the protest.
Government cites KPK terrorism issue
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, who was part of the government delegation, said the talks failed primarily because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) government could not assure the federal government that it would cooperate in the fight against terrorism in the future.
KPK is governed by the PTI, and the planned long march is scheduled to begin from the province. Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan leader Senator Allama Nasir Abbas also said the talks had failed over the issue of a meeting with Khan.
“No understanding could be reached regarding the respective roles of the province and the federal government concerning terrorism in the province, and the matter of a meeting with Imran Khan remains unresolved,” Abbas said in a post on X. He added that the deadlock specifically remained over access to Khan’s personal physician.
PTI announces route towards Islamabad
KPK Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced at 12:46 am that the protest would go ahead. He said supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat would join the long march from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1 pm on Sunday.
The convoy will halt for the night near Karak before participants depart at 12:30 pm the following day and stay overnight near Kohat. On October 6, protesters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai will join the convoy at noon. The march will then move towards Peshawar and spend the night near Mattani.
Afridi said the caravan would depart from Budh Bair in Peshawar on the afternoon of October 7. Remaining constituencies of Peshawar will join the march at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza before the convoy spends the night near Charsadda Interchange.
Government warns protesters over Islamabad entry
The protesters are scheduled to leave Charsadda Interchange at 12:30 pm on October 8, after people from Charsadda and Mohmand join them. Afridi said people from across KPK would gather at Khairabad on October 8 and spend the night there. He did not provide details of the final leg of the journey to Islamabad, saying the plan for the next phase would be announced there.
Meanwhile, political adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, said protesters would not be allowed to enter Islamabad.
“No one would be allowed to enter Islamabad,” he told reporters. The federal government had earlier threatened to block roads leading to the capital using shipping containers and increase the deployment of security personnel to prevent protesters from entering the city.
(With inputs from PTI)
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