Pakistan's government and opposition made progress towards a written draft agreement on Saturday, but negotiations continued as both sides consulted their leaderships.
The talks took place at the National Assembly under Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. They aim to ease political tensions ahead of the PTI's Oct. 4 march.
Has the government reached a draft agreement with the opposition?
No final agreement has been announced. Sources said negotiators reached an understanding in principle on parts of the draft, but further amendments were still being considered.
Both sides were seeking approval from their respective leaderships.
Who is taking part in the talks?
The discussions brought together representatives of the government, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and opposition parties backing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The government delegation included Federal Ministers Amir Muqam, Rana Sanaullah, Mohsin Naqvi and Talal Chaudhry. The PPP was represented by Senator Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani.
The opposition delegation included PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas and Opposition Chief Whip Amir Dogar. It also included former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.
Opening the meeting, Sadiq said the previous day's discussions had been held in a cordial atmosphere. He hoped the dialogue would continue in the same spirit. Rehman said the parties were seeking to address the country's political problems through democratic channels.
Gohar said PTI did not want to create divisions and wanted Pakistan's defense to remain strong. He said the party had no dispute with the military and was pursuing what it described as its constitutional and legal rights through its planned march.
What issues are being discussed in the draft agreement?
The negotiations later turned to the details of a possible written agreement. According to sources, the two sides differed over several points and the discussions became tense at times. An intervention by Sadiq helped keep the process on track, and neither side walked out.
The draft was revised several times as negotiators worked to narrow their differences. Sources said the issues under discussion included the implementation by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of the federal government's counterterrorism policy, continued meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan and a review by PTI of its protest strategy. The two sides also discussed maintaining political consultations through special committees if the planned long march is postponed.
What has delayed the agreement?
The process faced another hurdle after opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai spoke by telephone with Gohar and Asad Qaiser, according to sources. They said Achakzai told them no final decision should be announced before consultations with Imran Khan.
Further changes to the draft were then discussed. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was reported to have taken a copy of the document to the Prime Minister's House for consultations. Members of the government and opposition negotiating teams remained at the National Assembly.
Will the PTI march go ahead on Oct. 4?
But the prospect of a negotiated settlement did not appear to have changed the PTI leadership's plans for the march. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reiterated his intention to proceed with the protest, after earlier remarks on Saturday had drawn objections from government representatives.
Shortly after midnight, at 12:46 a.m., Afridi posted the planned route and schedule for the march on X, signalling that preparations for the Oct. 4 mobilisation were continuing.
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