Pakistan braces for showdown as talks collapse, Imran Khan’s party pushes ahead with march

Imran Khan has been incarcerated since 2023.

Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will proceed with its planned long march towards Islamabad after a second round of talks with the government ended without a deal on access to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.The negotiations began at 4 pm on Saturday and continued into the early hours of Sunday, but the two sides failed to resolve their differences. The main dispute centred on PTI’s demand for an immediate meeting with Khan, including access to his personal doctor.PTI had initially planned to start the long march on September 27 but postponed it to October 4 after the federal government introduced measures aimed at preventing the protest.

PTI demands access to Imran Khan

The party wants an immediate meeting with Khan and has demanded that he be taken to a hospital where his personal doctors can examine him.Khan, 73, has been in jail since 2023 after being convicted in a corruption case. He is currently held at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.PTI has also called for the release of Khan’s sisters and other people arrested ahead of the protest. It wants a proper medical examination of Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and has demanded that their legal cases be heard without interference.The government, however, insisted that PTI first cancel the protest before it would consider allowing its leaders to meet Khan, according to sources. PTI rejected that condition and wanted access to its jailed leader before deciding whether to call off the march.Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan leader Senator Allama Nasir Abbas said the negotiations had failed because the two sides could not agree on the roles of the federal and provincial governments in dealing with terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as access to 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, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, said.“We endeavoured to reach a conclusion, but the deadlock persists — specifically regarding access to Khan Sahib’s personal physician,” he added.

Government and PTI blame each other

Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the talks failed mainly because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could not guarantee that it would cooperate with the federal government in the fight against terrorism in the future.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is governed by PTI, and the province is also where the planned march will begin.Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman, who took part in the negotiations, said the government delegation had discussed all the opposition’s demands.“Unfortunately, the draft [agreement] was changed four times after it was agreed upon,” she told Geo News, adding that she would not go into the details.

Long march to begin from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 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 march at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1 pm on Sunday.The convoy is scheduled to stop near Karak for the night before leaving at 12:30 pm the following day and staying overnight near Kohat.On October 6, protesters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai will join the convoy as it moves towards Peshawar, with the group expected to spend the night near Mattani.Afridi said the caravan would leave Budh Bair in Peshawar on the afternoon of October 7. Supporters from other parts of Peshawar will join at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza before the convoy moves towards Charsadda.“The remaining constituencies of Peshawar will join us at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza. And we will spend the night near Charsadda Interchange,” he said.The protesters are scheduled to leave Charsadda Interchange at 12:30 pm on October 8 after supporters from Charsadda and Mohmand join them.Afridi said people from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would gather at Khairabad later that day before the next stage of the march is announced.“God willing, the plan for the next phase will be announced there,” he said.

The federal government has warned that the protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah said authorities would prevent the march from reaching the capital.“No one would be allowed to enter Islamabad,” he told reporters.The government had earlier said it would block roads leading into Islamabad with shipping containers and deploy additional security personnel to prevent the protesters from entering the capital.