ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Pakistan’s government and opposition concluded a first round of talks on Friday without announcing an agreement and will meet again at 2 p.m. on Saturday, a day before the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is due to begin a march demanding jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s release.

The talks come amid heightened political tensions between the federal government and PTI, which governs the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, over its planned march as well as governance and worsening militant violence in the province. Federal ministers have raised the possibility of governor’s rule, which would place provincial government functions under federal control, though no decision to impose it has been announced.

The government agreed to pursue talks after a Thursday meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that reviewed the political and security situation and expressed concern over conditions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PTI, meanwhile, said on Friday its Oct. 4 march remained on schedule. The party had postponed the march from Sept. 27 after authorities blocked routes toward Islamabad with shipping containers and deployed security forces.

“The positive thing is that the talks are continuing,” PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told the media after the meeting, denying reports that harsh words had been exchanged during the negotiation session.

“Both sides informed each other of their positions,” he said. “Talks will be held again tomorrow.”

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also described the atmosphere as “very positive,” saying the two sides had agreed not to disclose details of Friday’s discussions.

“The very purpose of negotiations is to listen to one another and to find a political solution through dialogue, patience and tolerance,” he told reporters. “And we are moving in that direction.”

A National Assembly Secretariat statement said the talks, chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, included detailed discussion of the country’s political situation and that the government, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and opposition representatives had presented their respective positions.

It said the second round would be held in the speaker’s chamber at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“So far the call for long march is intact,” PTI said in a statement earlier on Friday.

The timetable indicates Oct. 4 is the departure date, rather than the date protesters would reach Islamabad. The statement did not specify when the march would arrive in the capital.

Friday’s meeting included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, political affairs adviser Rana Sanaullah and federal ministers Amir Muqam, Talal Chaudhry and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

Senator Sherry Rehman and lawmakers Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani represented the Pakistan Peoples Party, a partner in the ruling coalition.

The opposition was represented by Gohar, Senate opposition leader Raja Nasir Abbas, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja and Amir Dogar.

CARGO BACKLOG AND MOUNTING COSTS

Security measures imposed ahead of PTI protests have also affected businesses far beyond the capital, with truckers refusing journeys north for fear their vehicles will be seized and their containers used by authorities to block roads.

“Right now, going toward Punjab is like committing suicide,” driver Javid ur Rehman, 35, told Reuters, referring to Pakistan’s most populous province.

“The police seize the vehicles and snatch the containers, and then we are left distressed.”

Transporters told Reuters police had taken over more than 2,000 vehicles in September, many carrying cargo and held for days with little or no compensation.

Rana Mohammad Aslam, president of the Karachi Goods Carrier Association, said the disruption affected routes to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock. Some operators had halted journeys beyond Gujranwala in Punjab, while others were taking alternative routes.

Charges for a single detained container could reach Rs30,000–Rs40,000 ($110–$150) a day, Aslam said, adding to losses from missed deliveries and idle trucks.

Pakistan’s interior, information, commerce and finance ministries, along with Punjab police and the provincial home department, did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Previous protests seeking Khan’s release have sometimes turned violent, including a November 2024 march on Islamabad that ended in deadly clashes with security forces. Federal authorities cite past unrest in defending restrictions, while PTI says its planned march will be peaceful.

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and faces multiple criminal cases. He denies wrongdoing, while PTI says the prosecutions are politically motivated. The government denies interfering in judicial proceedings.

With additional input from Reuters.