PTI Accepts Government Talks Offer Ahead of October 4 Long March

• Barrister Gohar says government and opposition representatives will meet at noon on Friday at the National Assembly speaker’s office.
• Opposition leaders have called for unconditional talks while maintaining that the planned long march will remain peaceful.
• Gohar warned against governor’s rule in KP, while Mahmood Khan Achakzai opposed meetings in government offices.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Thursday that the party had accepted the government’s invitation for talks ahead of its planned October 4 long march towards Islamabad.

Gohar said the decision followed consultations at a meeting of opposition leaders earlier in the day. Government and opposition representatives would meet at 12pm on Friday in the office of the National Assembly speaker, he added.

چیئرمین پی ٹی آئی بیرسٹر گوہر خان کو حکومت کی جانب سے کل ملاقات کا پیغام موصول ہوا جسے انہوں نے آج کے اپوزیشن اجلاس میں ہونے والے فیصلے کی روشنی میں قبول کر لیا۔
انشاء اللہ کل دوپہر 12 بجے اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی سردار ایاز صادق کے دفتر میں اپوزیشن اور حکومتی وفود کے درمیان ملاقات… pic.twitter.com/dNcXI83lL8

— Barrister Gohar Khan (@BarristerGohar) October 1, 2026

PTI had postponed the march from September 27 to October 4, saying the protest would seek the release of its jailed founding chairman and the restoration of constitutional supremacy.

Before confirming acceptance of the invitation, Gohar had said the party remained open to negotiations. He said he had heard that the government intended to send a delegation and that PTI would welcome the approach.

Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also supported dialogue but stressed that negotiations should take place without preconditions. He said attaching conditions would undermine the process and maintained that the opposition was willing to engage even with political opponents in Pakistan’s interest.

Nasir Abbas said the long march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be peaceful. Opposition leaders have been consulting on preparations for the protest and their broader political strategy.

Gohar maintained that the announcement of the march was final and said it would continue until the party’s demands were accepted.

Addressing the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI chairman said preventing terrorism should remain the priority. He reiterated the party’s position that terrorism must not be politicised.

He warned that imposing governor’s rule would aggravate the situation, heighten tensions and deepen divisions. Urging restraint, he appealed to those considering such measures to reconsider.

In a separate statement, Gohar said governor’s rule would also create difficulties for the federal government. He said the Pakistan Peoples Party’s call for consultation with the province concerned only the deployment of Rangers.

Gohar reaffirmed that Pakistan’s interests came first and that the party would remain peaceful. He also referred to Nasir Abbas’s position that negotiations should now be conducted for the country’s benefit.

Meanwhile, Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said he would not meet the prime minister or the National Assembly speaker in their official offices.

Achakzai linked his objection to allegations about the government’s formation and the loss of voters’ mandate. He said he was willing to meet a PML-N leader at their residence or hold discussions at another location anywhere in Pakistan.

“I can meet the prime minister anywhere in Pakistan, even under a tree,” he said, adding that he was also prepared to visit the residence of any party leader.

Achakzai described the prime minister as unconstitutional and alleged that the mandate of millions of Pakistanis had been taken away. He said he was choosing to remain restrained despite his strong objections.