LAKKI MARWAT: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has begun its long march towards Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat after talks with the federal government failed to end the deadlock.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi led the convoy from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat. He said he would announce the next course of action on Thursday, October 8, when the convoy reaches Khairabad.
Talks End Without Agreement
The PTI held three rounds of talks with a government and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) delegation.
The negotiations broke down on Sunday morning.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the talks had collapsed and accused the KP chief minister of sabotaging the negotiations.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja gave a different account.
He said the main reason for the failure was the federal government’s demand that the provincial government take responsibility for anti-terrorism measures that Islamabad had initiated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI Convoy Heads Towards Islamabad
Party workers from Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and nearby districts gathered in Lakki Marwat before the march.
A heavy police contingent was also deployed in the area for security.
Afridi travelled from Peshawar to Lakki Marwat to lead the convoy. PTI leaders, including Junaid Akbar, accompanied him.
The convoy is expected to camp near Karak on Sunday night. Participants from Karak will join the march on Monday.
The convoy will then move towards Kohat, Peshawar and Charsadda in the following days.
Government Warns Against Violence
The federal government has said it will not allow the PTI to resort to violence during the march.
Naqvi said the government would take legal action against anyone who violated the law.
He warned that participants in the sit-in would face legal proceedings and trial if they broke the law.
The minister also reiterated that no one would be allowed to storm the federal capital.
“The long march has already begun, and we will not spare anyone who violates the law,” Naqvi said.
PTI Sets Out Key Demands
The PTI has said it is marching towards Islamabad to demand the release of party founder Imran Khan.
The party is also seeking what it describes as the “supremacy of law and the Constitution”.
