Islamabad, Oct 4: Pakistan on Sunday braced for a protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party after it announced plans to proceed with its long march following the failure of talks with the government.
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 a breakthrough.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf last month announced plans to launch a long march to Islamabad on September 27, but later postponed it to October 4 due to the tough measures taken by the federal government to stop the protest.
The party’s key demands include an immediate meeting with jailed party founder Khan and a decision to take him to a hospital where his personal doctors can examine him.
The 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been incarcerated since 2023, when he was arrested after conviction in a corruption case. He is 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 protest, a proper medical check-up of Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, and that their cases be heard properly without interference.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, who was part of the government delegation, on Sunday said the talks failed primarily because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) “government could not assure whether they would cooperate in the fight against terrorism in the future”.
KPK, a northwestern province, is governed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and the party’s planned long march is scheduled to begin from there.
The second round of talks on Sunday failed over the issue of access to Imran Khan, with the government insisting that the party announce the cancellation of the protest first and that the issue of a meeting with their jailed leader would be decided later, according to sources.
The party, however, demanded a meeting with Khan before deciding on the protest, sources said.
Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan leader Senator Allama Nasir Abbas reiterated on X that the talks 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, 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.
Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman, who also participated in the talks, said the government delegation discussed all the points with the opposition.
“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.
KPK Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced at 12:46 am that the protest would go ahead.
He said in a message on X that party 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 caravan will halt for the night near Karak, from where participants will depart at 12:30 pm the next day and stay overnight near Kohat.
At 12 pm on October 6, protesters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai will join the convoy, which will 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.
“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 will depart from Charsadda Interchange at 12:30 pm on October 8 after people from Charsadda and Mohmand join them.
Afridi did not detail the final leg of the journey to Islamabad, saying people “of entire KPK” would gather at Khairabad on October 8 and spend the night there.
“God willing, the plan for the next phase will be announced there,” he said.
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 with shipping containers and increase the presence of security personnel to stop the protesters.(PTI)
