October 4: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, is going ahead with its march on Islamabad after a second round of talks with the government ended in deadlock in the early hours of Sunday. The talks at Parliament House ran for about 11 hours, Dawn reported. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has asked supporters to gather at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1pm on Sunday. The government says the march will not be allowed to enter the capital.
Latest update (October 5): The march began on Sunday from Lakki Marwat with thousands of supporters and is due at Khairabad on Thursday. Full story: “We are not yes-men”: thousands join PTI’s march
Key highlights
- Talks: The second round began after 4pm on Saturday and ended at about 3am on Sunday without an agreement, according to Dawn.
- Sticking points: Access to Imran Khan in jail, and how to deal with terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- The march: It starts from Lakki Marwat on October 4 and is due to reach an assembly point at Khairabad on October 8, 24NewsHD reported.
- Government line: Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs, said the march “will not be allowed to enter the limits of Islamabad”.
- PTI line: Party chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the march was “intact” and would go ahead.
What happened in the talks
The negotiations were held at Parliament House in Islamabad and chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Dawn reported. The government side included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, ministers Amir Muqam, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Tallal Chaudhry, and Rana Sanaullah. The opposition side included Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Barrister Gohar Khan, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and former speaker Asad Qaiser.
Allama Raja Nasir Abbas told reporters the deadlock was over “meetings with Imran” and “how to address terrorism in KP”, according to Dawn. He described the differences as small, but said they could not be settled. The opposition wanted Imran Khan to be allowed to meet his personal doctors and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The government wanted the march called off.
Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who took part in the talks, said the draft agreement “was changed four times after it was agreed upon”, Dawn reported. No date was set for another round.
The government put the blame on the provincial administration’s stand on security. “The refusal to cooperate against terrorism is not acceptable,” Rana Sanaullah said, as quoted by 24NewsHD. The channel reported that the government regarded Imran Khan’s medical treatment and meetings as minor issues. It also reported differences within the opposition, saying Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai insisted on meeting Imran Khan before signing any agreement.
The route and the schedule
Afridi posted the itinerary on social media at 12:46am on Sunday, while the talks were still going on, Dawn reported. Supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and the Waziristan districts are to join at Lakki Marwat, 24NewsHD said. The route given by the channel is:
- October 4: Start from Gandi Chowk, Lakki Marwat, at 1pm; night halt near Karak.
- October 5: Kohat.
- October 6: Peshawar.
- October 7: Charsadda.
- October 8: Assembly point at Khairabad, on the way to Islamabad.
Dawn’s account mentions overnight halts near Karak, Kohat and Mattani. Lakki Marwat is in the south of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province PTI governs and its strongest base.
What each side is saying
Barrister Gohar said imposing an emergency or governor’s rule in the province “was not the answer to the protest”, according to Dawn. The federal government has been weighing governor’s rule and other legal options for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The Express Tribune reported on September 26. Afridi said then that any such step would bring an “unprecedented” public reaction. He also said the party had “never refused negotiations”.
Not everyone in PTI wanted the march now. The News reported that Shaukat Yousafzai, the party’s information secretary in the province, wrote to the leadership on September 29 asking for a further delay. He cited the security situation and the risk that the federal government could use the march as a reason to impose emergency rule. Gohar rejected the suggestion and confirmed the October 4 date.
Background
The march was first called for September 27 and then pushed back to October 4. Its main demand is the release of Imran Khan, who has been in prison since 2023. He denies the charges against him and says they are politically motivated.
Islamabad has been under heavy security since late September. WION reported on September 26 that about 22,000 security personnel had been deployed, more than 1,000 shipping containers placed on roads, and public gatherings banned in the capital. We reported on those preparations here: Islamabad becomes “a city of containers” as PTI delays march.
The march comes at a tense time for Pakistan on other fronts too. On Saturday, India and Pakistan summoned each other’s diplomats over a shooting on the Punjab border.
What to watch
- Whether the convoy is stopped: The government has said it will not let the march into Islamabad. It has not said where it will block it.
- Governor’s rule: Any move against the provincial government would sharply raise the stakes.
- More talks: PTI says it remains open to dialogue, but no new round has been scheduled.
Sources
- Dawn: After hours of negotiations, second round of govt-opposition talks ends in a “deadlock”
- 24NewsHD: PTI launches Islamabad march after govt talks end without deal
- The Express Tribune: Afridi warns of “unprecedented” reaction if governor’s rule imposed in K-P
- The News: PTI KP leader calls for further delay in October 4 long march
- WION: Pakistan deploys over 20,000 security personnel as PTI vows march for Imran Khan’s release
The International Desk covers world and Asian affairs, diplomacy and conflict, with a focus on what they mean for India. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
