Urdu Report Desk
Government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) negotiations ended without an agreement on Saturday night, leaving the political deadlock unresolved as the party prepares to begin its long march from Lakki Marwat on Sunday, October 4.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has announced that the first phase of the march will begin at 1 p.m. from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat. Participants from different districts will gradually join the procession, which is scheduled to reach Khairabad on October 8.
Long March Schedule
According to the schedule released by Sohail Afridi on X, participants from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat will join the march on October 4. The convoy will stay overnight near Karak.
On October 5, residents of Karak will join the march at noon. The convoy will depart at 12:30 p.m. and is scheduled to stay overnight near Kohat.
On October 6, participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai districts will join the procession at noon. The convoy will then move from Kohat towards Peshawar and spend the night near Matani.
The march will resume from Budhber in Peshawar at 12:30 p.m. on October 7. Participants from Khyber district will join the convoy, while people from other parts of Peshawar will join at Kohat Road Bridge and the motorway toll plaza. The convoy will stay overnight near the Charsadda Interchange.
On October 8, the convoy will leave Charsadda Interchange at 12:30 p.m., with participants from Charsadda and Mohmand districts joining the march.
Sohail Afridi said people arriving from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would gather at Khairabad on October 8 and spend the night there. The strategy for the next phase of the long march will be announced at Khairabad.
Second Round of Government-PTI Talks
A second round of talks between the government and the opposition was held at Parliament House on Saturday, only hours before the long march was due to begin.
The negotiations, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, continued for several hours but ended without an agreement.
Opposition Leader in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said after the talks that the deadlock remained unresolved. He said the two sides could not reach an agreement on a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan and also remained divided over measures to address terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the decision to hold the long march remained unchanged and that it would proceed according to the announced schedule.
PTI Demands and Government Position
According to Barrister Gohar, the opposition’s demands included meetings with Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. He said discussions also failed to make progress on certain issues related to counterterrorism.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said most issues had been agreed upon during the negotiations, but an agreement could not be reached because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did not provide assurances about cooperation in counterterrorism operations.
He said the federal government’s position was that the provincial government must cooperate with the federation in the fight against terrorism.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also said the government had revised the draft agreement two or three times, but the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did not agree to cooperate on counterterrorism.
Rana Sanaullah said cooperation against terrorism was a constitutional and legal responsibility of the provincial government and that the government could not compromise on the issue.
Disagreement Over Islamabad Entry
Rana Sanaullah said the talks also covered meetings with Imran Khan and matters related to his medical treatment. However, he described these as relatively minor issues that could be handled according to jail rules and the law.
After the negotiations ended without an agreement, Barrister Gohar reaffirmed that the long march would proceed.
Rana Sanaullah, meanwhile, made clear that the government would not allow the march to enter the limits of Islamabad.
