The first round of talks between the PTI-led opposition and the ruling coalition over the party’s proposed Oct 4 long march concluded on Friday, with both sides agreeing to resume the dialogue on Saturday.

The meeting between government and opposition representatives, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, was aimed at defusing the country’s ongoing political crisis, with the PTI’s planned Oct 4 protest march demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan emerging as the latest point of contention between the party and the federal government.

The PTI will formally present its demands to the government’s negotiating team on Saturday.

The delegations apprised each other of their respective positions and held detailed discussions on various matters in a spirit of restraint, the National Assembly Secretariat said.

According to the secretariat, the second round of talks will be held at 2pm on Saturday in the speaker’s chamber. It said the government and PPP had stressed the need to resolve national issues through negotiations with the opposition.

The delegations were welcomed by Speaker Sadiq upon their arrival. “I am only playing the role of a mediator,” he said.

Sadiq said his office was “always open” to resolving issues through negotiations and that he had consistently invited the opposition to engage in dialogue. He maintained that negotiations were the only way to resolve differences and issues, adding that positions and offices were temporary.

“Parliament is the only forum where solutions to issues can be found,” he said.

In an earlier post on X, the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) said negotiations with the government’s committee were underway, with the opposition side being led by the leader of the opposition in the Senate.

Minister Amir Muqam, Adviser to the PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry attended the meeting, along with PPP Senator Sherry Rehman and National Assembly members Syed Naveed Qamar and Ejaz Hussain Jakhrani.

The opposition was represented by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Senate opposition leader Raja Nasir Abbas, Amir Dogar, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja.

As the PTI remains resolute to go ahead with the march, federal ministers have warned that the Centre would have no other option but to impose the governor’s rule or emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in light of the security situation in the province and the PTI’s protest call.

For its part, the opposition party has warned the government of dire consequences if such a decision is imposed.

Govt should engage opp ‘with integrity’

Senate Opposition Leader Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, speaking to the media at his office during a break in talks with the government, said the government should engage with the opposition “with integrity” and take steps towards resolving the issues.

“If the government cares about the political crisis, then it should sit with the opposition with integrity and step forward to find a solution,” he said.

Regarding PTI’s long march, Senator Nasir said the call would remain “intact” until a solution was found.

“Negotiating is the way of political leaders; negotiations could resolve gigantic issues and war,” he said, adding that “it, however, depends on the government’s intention”.

He questioned whether the government, as the other party to the negotiations, genuinely wanted to resolve the issues.

“They are in government and it is their responsibility to maintain peace, resolve crises, and ensure economic stability,” he said.

Senator Nasir reiterated that the outcome depended on how “autonomous” the government was and whether it had the “intent” to pursue negotiations.

A day earlier, it emerged that a joint delegation of the PPP and the government would hold a meeting with the PTI leadership on Friday, during which the “current political situation” in the country would be discussed with the opposition.

The decision came after a meeting at the presidency attended by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and other party leaders.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also said on Thursday that the federal government and PTI were engaged in “off-the-record talks” regarding PTI’s planned protest.

Sanaullah said that the decision on the proposed march rested with PTI’s senior leadership, “with whom off-the-record consultation is ongoing”.

“So let us see, even if they do not postpone it, we have arrangements in place to stop them,” he warned.