Government and PTI resume negotiations as the opposition party maintains its October 4 Islamabad march plan amid efforts to ease political tensions.
ISLAMABAD: The government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are set to resume negotiations at 2 p.m. Saturday at Parliament House, as tensions continue over the party’s planned October 4 march on Islamabad.
The second round of talks follows an initial meeting on Friday in National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s chamber, where both sides exchanged demands and described the discussions as constructive.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the meeting was held in a “good atmosphere,” adding that the party had presented its demands and hoped the dialogue would continue.
Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also described the talks as positive but stressed that the discussions should remain confidential. He said the government needed to demonstrate seriousness in resolving the political impasse.
A key PTI demand is permission for party leaders to meet the party’s founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan, who is incarcerated at Adiala jail. According to sources, the opposition has also sought implementation of a Supreme Court order concerning his transfer to a hospital.
The government, meanwhile, has asked PTI to postpone or call off its planned march, according to sources. It has also assured the opposition that the court order concerning Imran Khan would be implemented.
Despite the negotiations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that PTI’s long march toward Islamabad would begin from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on October 4.
Addressing party workers at a fundraising event at the PTI secretariat in Peshawar, Afridi urged supporters to participate with full preparations and said he would personally lead the convoy.
Under the route announced by the chief minister, the march’s first stop will be Karak, followed by Kohat on October 5. The convoy is scheduled to reach Matni, near Peshawar, on the night of October 6.
Afridi said the convoy would depart from Peshawar on the morning of October 7. He added that a detailed schedule would be shared with party workers on Friday night.
The chief minister called on workers, particularly those from southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts, to join the march in large numbers. He said the protest would remain peaceful and urged participants to avoid disorder.
Gohar said PTI was entering the negotiations in good faith despite its demands not having been accepted, adding that the government’s approach would determine the party’s next course of action regarding the march.
The talks follow consultations between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, when they agreed to engage PTI to help ease political tensions.
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