Imran Khan has been incarcerated since 2023.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced at 12:46 am that the protest would go ahead.
Government and PTI blame each other
Because the two sides could not agree on the roles of the federal and provincial governments in dealing with terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as access to Khan, tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan leader Senator Allama Nasir Abbas said the negotiations had failed. Because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could not guarantee that it would cooperate with the federal government in the fight against terrorism in the future, minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the talks failed mainly.
The government, however, insisted that PTI first cancel the protest before it would consider allowing its leaders to meet Khan, according to sources. “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. Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman, who took part in the negotiations, said the government delegation had discussed all the opposition’s demands. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah said authorities would prevent the march from reaching the capital.
Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will proceed with its planned long march towards Islamabad after a second round of talks with the government ended without a deal on access to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan . PTI rejected that condition and wanted access to its jailed leader before deciding whether to call off the march. The federal government has warned that the protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad.