PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar says the government has taken no concrete step beyond extending the invitation as the long march continues.
WEB DESK: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has described Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s latest offer for talks as “merely symbolic”, saying the government has taken no concrete step beyond extending the invitation.
Gohar made the remarks while speaking to journalists in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, October 6, after the prime minister offered to resume dialogue with PTI on the condition that the party end its ongoing long march towards Islamabad.
Gohar says government must take concrete steps
Gohar said PTI had entered negotiations with the government in good faith but alleged that the government had failed to demonstrate what he described as seriousness and flexibility.
He said PTI had been unable to meet its jailed founder, Imran Khan, for about a year, with the last such meeting taking place in October 2025, according to his remarks reported by Geo News.
The PTI chairman also said that the party’s demands were not illegal and called for further engagement rather than shifting responsibility for the breakdown in negotiations.
The government and opposition had already held rounds of talks earlier this month, but the negotiations ended without agreement on several key issues. Reports identified access to Imran Khan and his medical care among the disputed matters.
PM Shehbaz links talks to end of long march
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif renewed the government’s offer of talks on Tuesday, but linked the initiative to PTI ending its long march towards Islamabad.
Addressing an event in Islamabad, the prime minister warned that sit-ins and long marches could affect economic activity, including exports and manufacturing.
Shehbaz urged PTI to end the march and said the ruling coalition had collectively decided to engage the opposition in talks.
The two sides therefore remain divided over the conditions under which further negotiations should take place.
Salman Akram Raja names opposition negotiators
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that if the government wants negotiations to resume, it should contact the opposition leadership.
He identified National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as the figures holding negotiating authority.
Raja said the long march would continue until an agreement was finalised. He also rejected suggestions that the previous government-opposition negotiations had settled the outstanding issues.
According to Raja, PTI founder Imran Khan had given Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas authority to negotiate on the party’s behalf.
PTI calls for action on terrorism
Gohar also called for a meeting of the Apex Committee to discuss terrorism and said PTI’s position was to implement the National Action Plan.
He highlighted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s exposure to militant violence and said the provincial assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on the issue, according to Geo News.
Separately, PTI leader Asad Qaiser called for engagement with the party over what he described as its constitutional and legal demands.
Qaiser also opposed suggestions of imposing governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing that such a step would not resolve the political tensions.
Political dialogue remains uncertain
The latest exchange comes after government-PTI negotiations failed to produce a settlement over the proposed Islamabad march.
The government has made further talks conditional on ending the march, while PTI leaders say the party wants concrete measures and continued engagement before changing its protest strategy.
With both sides maintaining different conditions for renewed negotiations, the next move will depend on whether government and opposition representatives can agree on a framework for further talks.
