Pakistan Government, PTI Talks End in Deadlock as Protest March Continues
Talks between a government delegation led by Shehbaz Sharif and leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ended without agreement in the early hours of Sunday after several hours of negotiations. Following the failure of the talks, Sohail Afridi, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the party’s march would begin as planned from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat and reach Khairabad on October 8.
The main point of disagreement was PTI’s demand for an immediate meeting with Imran Khan, the former prime minister and founder of the party, and access for his personal doctor. Party leaders said the government had stated that it would not currently facilitate a meeting with Imran Khan and would only allow visits by his sisters and lawyers. PTI has also demanded the release of those detained, medical treatment for Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife, and an end to what it described as political interference in judicial cases.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said one reason for the failure of the talks was the lack of guarantees from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to cooperate in counter-terrorism operations. He said the federal government is concerned about rising attacks in border areas and expects the provincial administration to play a more active role in confronting security threats. PTI has described the demand as political pressure and unrelated to the march.
After the talks collapsed, Afridi announced that the march from Lakki Marwat would pass through Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Karak, Kohat, Peshawar and Charsadda. He said the party’s supporters would gather in Khairabad on October 8, and the next phase of the movement would be announced there.
In response, Rana Sanaullah, political adviser to the Pakistani prime minister, said no one would be allowed to enter Islamabad and that roads leading to the capital would be blocked with containers and security forces. He warned that any unrest would be dealt with under the law. Pakistani media have also reported the deployment of police, riot control units and security forces at sensitive points.
Sherry Rehman, a Pakistan Peoples Party leader and member of the negotiating team, said the draft agreement had been revised four times and the government had heard PTI’s concerns, but there could be no compromise on the issue of terrorism. She said the demand for an immediate meeting with Imran Khan was the main obstacle to a deal. Imran Khan has been held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since 2023, and PTI sees the march as a tool of pressure to secure his release.
