KARACHI: Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said Friday its Oct. 4 march demanding jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s release remained on, as the government prepared for talks aimed at easing political tensions.

The clarification follows uncertainty over whether negotiations would lead PTI to postpone the protest again. The party had moved its original Sept. 27 march to Oct. 4 after authorities blocked routes toward Islamabad with shipping containers and deployed security forces.

The talks also come amid a separate dispute over governance and worsening militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northwestern province governed by PTI. Federal ministers have raised the possibility of governor’s rule, which would place provincial government functions under federal control. No decision to impose it has been announced.

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

The march would begin at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat, a district in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with its first stop in Karak and a second stop in Kohat on Oct. 5 before entering Peshawar district.

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

The government’s decision to pursue talks followed 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 named an opposition negotiating team comprising former parliamentary speaker Asad Qaiser, Senate opposition leader Raja Nasir Abbas, party chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Salman Akram Raja, Amir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh.

The government delegation includes Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Sharif’s political affairs adviser Rana Sanaullah and Federal Minister Amir Muqam. Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Jakhrani represent the Pakistan Peoples Party, a partner in the ruling coalition.

GOVERNOR’S RULE UNDER DISCUSSION

Pakistani media reported that the government had held off on immediately imposing governor’s rule or emergency measures while giving dialogue a chance. Those reports cited unnamed sources; the official announcement of Friday’s talks did not say either option had been withdrawn.

Muqam from the government negotiating team said Monday the conditions for governor’s rule had been met. Other federal ministers have also accused the provincial administration of failing to confront militancy.

Under Article 234 of Pakistan’s constitution, the president can assume provincial government functions if satisfied that a province cannot be governed in accordance with constitutional provisions. The proclamation is subject to parliamentary approval.

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.