Pakistan government-opposition talks end in deadlock ahead of PTI march

Pakistan government-opposition talks ended in deadlock early on Sunday after a second round of negotiations at Parliament House failed to settle key differences.

The PTI said its Oct 4 march towards Islamabad would proceed, as it presses for the release of jailed founder Imran Khan.

What is the current political situation in Pakistan?

The government and the opposition remain at odds over meetings with Imran Khan and counterterrorism policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. No date has been set for another round of talks.

The PTI has confirmed its march will go ahead, which keeps pressure on both sides to find a political settlement.

What happened during the talks at Parliament House?

Negotiations stretched for nearly 11 hours after starting shortly after 4pm on Saturday. The discussions were held behind closed doors, and participants largely avoided speaking publicly while the meeting was under way.

Shortly before 3am, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas emerged and told reporters that no agreement had been reached. "Deadlock," Abbas said when asked about the outcome, according to footage broadcast by Geo News.

Abbas described the remaining differences as relatively minor, but said the sides had failed to settle the question of meetings with Imran. He named two key areas of disagreement: access to Imran's personal doctors and the handling of terrorism-related issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that the negotiations had ended and that the opposition would give a fuller account at a later news conference.

What did PTI say about the march?

PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Khan separately said the party's planned march remained in place. "The long march is intact," Gohar told reporters, while rejecting the imposition of emergency rule or governor's rule in response to the protest.

He said the two sides had also failed to agree on a date for another round of negotiations. Gohar said the opposition had put forward straightforward demands, including meetings between Imran and his family members, including his wife, Bushra Bibi. He added that disagreements over the handling of terrorism had also contributed to the breakdown.

The negotiations were overseen by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq as the government sought to prevent the latest PTI confrontation from escalating. The party has said the Oct 4 march is aimed at pressing for Imran's release and other demands.

What is the route of the PTI march?

With the talks failing to produce a settlement, the planned mobilisation by the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government remained a central concern. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had signalled earlier on Saturday that the march would go ahead. He later set out a detailed route for the convoy in a post on X shortly before 1am on Sunday.

Under the schedule, PTI supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat are due to assemble at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1pm on Oct 4. The convoy is expected to travel towards Karak for an overnight stop before resuming its journey at 12:30pm the following day and proceeding towards Kohat.

On Oct 6, participants from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai are scheduled to join the convoy at noon. It will then move towards Peshawar and stop near Mattani.

The next day, the march is due to leave Budh Bair in Peshawar in the afternoon. According to Afridi's itinerary, PTI supporters from other parts of Peshawar will join at Kohat Road Bridge and the Motorway Toll Plaza before the convoy heads towards Charsadda Interchange for the night.

The convoy is scheduled to leave Charsadda Interchange at 12:30pm on Oct 8, with participants from Charsadda and Mohmand joining along the way. Afridi did not spell out the final route into Islamabad. Instead, he said supporters from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would converge at Khairabad on Oct 8 and spend the night there, with the next stage to be announced at that point.

Who took part in the opposition delegation?

The standoff comes amid heightened tensions between the federal government and the PTI-led provincial administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The planned march has added to pressure on both sides to reach a political accommodation.

The opposition delegation at Saturday's negotiations included Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI interim chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Opposition Chief Whip Amir Dogar and MNA Asad Qaiser. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh were also part of the delegation.