Pakistan braces for Imran Khan supporters’ long march after talks with government fail

Pakistan on Sunday braced for a protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khans Pakistan TehreekeInsaf party after it announced plans to proceed with its long march following the failure of talks with the governmentThe second round of talks between government negotiators and Khans party leaders began at 4 pm on Saturday and continued through the night before ending early Sunday without a breakthroughThe Pakistan TehreekeInsaf 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 protestThe partys 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 himThe 73yearold cricketerturnedpolitician has been incarcerated since 2023 when he was arrested after conviction in a corruption case He is lodged at the highsecurity Adiala Jail in RawalpindiThe party has also demanded the release of Khans sisters and others arrested ahead of the protest a proper medical checkup of Khans wife Bushra Bibi and that their cases be heard properly without interferenceMinister 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 futureKPK a northwestern province is governed by the Pakistan TehreekeInsaf and the partys planned long march is scheduled to begin from thereThe 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 sourcesThe party however demanded a meeting with Khan before deciding on the protest sources saidTehreekeTahafuzeAyinePakistan leader Senator Allama Nasir Abbas reiterated on X that the talks failed over the issue of a meeting with KhanNo 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 saidWe endeavoured to reach a conclusion but the deadlock persists specifically regarding access to Khan Sahibs personal physician he addedPakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman who also participated in the talks said the government delegation discussed all the points with the oppositionUnfortunately the draft agreement was changed four times after it was agreed upon she told Geo News adding that she would not go into the detailsKPK Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced at 1246 am that the protest would go aheadHe 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 SundayThe caravan will halt for the night near Karak from where participants will depart at 1230 pm the next day and stay overnight near KohatAt 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 MattaniAfridi said the caravan would depart from Budh Bair in Peshawar on the afternoon of October 7The 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 saidThe protesters will depart from Charsadda Interchange at 1230 pm on October 8 after people from Charsadda and Mohmand join themAfridi 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 thereGod willing the plan for the next phase will be announced there he saidMeanwhile political adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Rana Sanaullah said protesters would not be allowed to enter IslamabadNo one would be allowed to enter Islamabad he told reportersThe 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 protestersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever