Imran Khan’s PTI Pushes Ahead With Islamabad March
Talks between Pakistan’s government and the opposition party collapsed over access to the jailed former prime minister, deepening political tensions.
Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has decided to proceed with its long march towards Islamabad on October 4, 2026, after negotiations with the federal government failed to produce an agreement. The protest centres on demands concerning jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, including access to him and arrangements for his medical examination.
The second round of talks between government negotiators and PTI leaders began on Saturday afternoon and continued through the night before ending without a breakthrough early Sunday. The march had originally been scheduled for September 27 but was postponed to October 4 amid government measures aimed at preventing the protest.
PTI’s main demands include an immediate meeting with Khan and his transfer to a hospital where his personal doctors can examine and treat him. The party has also called for the release of Khan’s sisters and other supporters detained ahead of the demonstration, a proper medical check-up for his wife Bushra Bibi, and fair hearings in their cases.
The negotiations broke down over the sequence of steps required to resolve the standoff. According to sources cited in media reports, the government wanted PTI to cancel the protest before a meeting with Khan could be considered. The party insisted that access to its jailed founder must be granted before it made a decision on the march.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the talks also failed because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which is governed by PTI, could not provide assurances about future cooperation in counterterrorism efforts. The dispute over the provincial government’s role became another major obstacle to reaching an agreement.
Authorities have tightened security around Islamabad and set up roadblocks to prevent protesters from entering the capital. The federal government has cited security concerns amid militant violence in northwestern Pakistan, while PTI has continued to mobilise supporters for the march.
Khan, a former cricketer who served as Pakistan’s prime minister, has been in prison since 2023 following his conviction in a corruption case. He remains a central figure in the country’s opposition politics, and the dispute over access to him has become a focal point of the latest confrontation between PTI and the federal government.