Saad Rafique Urges Government and PTI to Hold Talks Before Long March
- The PML-N leader called on the government to take the initiative and open talks with protesters.
- His appeal followed PTI’s decision to postpone its Islamabad march from September 27 to October 4.
- Some routes between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad have reopened, though restrictions remain in place elsewhere.
PML-N leader Saad Rafique has urged the government and protesters to begin talks, warning that continued confrontation would cause further harm.
In a post on X on Sunday, Rafique said the state should take the initiative when a dispute needs to be resolved. He called on both sides to set aside ego, stubbornness and factional interests, saying a way forward could be found if there was a genuine willingness to address the issues.
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آواز ِ دروں —•-—
ایک دوسرے سے بات چیت کریں ،گفت و شنید جاری رکھیں ، مسائل حل کرنے کی نیت ھو تو راستہ ضرور نکلتا ھے
حکومتیں اور احتجاج کرنیوالے اناؤں ، ضدوں اور دھڑے بندیوں سے اوپر اٹھیں ،
یاد رھے آپ میں سے کوئ فاتح نہیں ھو گا کیونکہ سب ھار رھے بیں، پہل ھمیشہ…— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) September 27, 2026
Rafique warned against treating the standoff as a contest with a winner. He also appealed for steps to protect lives and property, saying Pakistan was already under pressure from inflation, unemployment, injustice and terrorism.
His remarks came after PTI postponed its planned September 27 long march towards Islamabad by a week. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced October 4 as the new date and offered to hold talks with the federal government before the march.
“If negotiations have to be held after the long march, why not do them before?” Afridi asked while speaking to journalists in Peshawar. He said the dispute could be resolved through mutual understanding within the coming week.
Following the postponement, traffic resumed on GT Road at Khairabad in Attock after four days, and authorities began removing barriers from the Peshawar–Islamabad M-1 motorway. Traffic at Punjab’s entry points in Taxila also returned to normal, while the CPEC route in Mianwali remained closed.
Containers around Islamabad’s Red Zone increased despite the change in the march date. Police also registered a case over barriers allegedly broken at Attock Bridge and thrown into the river, naming 250 PTI workers. Several workers were detained, and authorities said damage to state property would be dealt with under the law.
