The PTI long march, which began in Lakki Marwat on Sunday, spent the night in Karak and was set to resume its journey towards Kohat before moving onward to Peshawar.
The developments come as PTI leadership reviews the breakdown in government-opposition negotiations and prepares to announce its next strategy in Charsadda and Swabi.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi will depart from Karak for Kohat alongside participants of the PTI long march. Upon reaching Kohat, he is scheduled to address party workers. MNA Shehryar Afridi will welcome the chief minister in Kohat before the march proceeds towards Peshawar after a stopover.
According to PTI leadership, a significant announcement regarding the future course of action will be made when the march reaches Charsadda and Swabi.
During the march, Sohail Afridi has expressed willingness to negotiate with the federal government. He has also demanded that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government be taken into confidence over federal policies concerning the province’s law and order situation.
The chief minister has said the party’s future strategy will be announced once the march reaches Charsadda and Swabi.
PTI committees review failed negotiations
Meanwhile, the PTI Political Committee and Core Committee held a joint meeting in Islamabad to review the inconclusive end to negotiations with the government.
Sources said the opposition negotiating team briefed the committees on the talks, with Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja, Aamir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh providing details of the negotiations and the deadlock.
Committee members expressed concern over why the talks failed when an agreement had appeared close to being reached.
The negotiating team briefed the meeting that the deadlock had emerged over three key issues: meetings with the PTI founding chairman, medical treatment and certain provincial matters.
According to the briefing, an agreement would have resulted in the immediate release of recently arrested PTI workers and the sisters of the founding chairman. The negotiating team said its demand had been for party leaders to meet the founding chairman before the long march proceeded.
The government, according to the briefing, had agreed to allow two leaders to meet him on Tuesday, but the proposal was conditional on the PTI not holding the long march.
The unresolved conditions ultimately prevented the negotiations from reaching a final agreement.
PTI backs consultation on KP affairs
The meeting also discussed the role of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in decisions concerning the province. According to the briefing, Sohail Afridi advocated that decisions relating to KP should be taken in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
The Political and Core Committee supported the principle of reaching unanimous decisions through stakeholder consultations on provincial affairs.
Members also expressed support for the KP government and said the Political and Core Committee would stand behind the provincial government during the long march.
The committee further authorized the PTI negotiating team to decide whether negotiations with the federal government should be resumed.
Sources said the negotiating committee had met with the PTI Political and Core Committee last night before the joint meeting.
Security tightened in Rawalpindi
Security arrangements have also been reorganized in Rawalpindi in view of the PTI long march. Containers have been placed at entry points into the city, while police personnel have been deployed as part of enhanced security measures.
A separate security plan has also been prepared for the eight routes leading to Adiala Jail.
Despite the heightened security, all routes remain open at present and traffic is flowing normally on Rawalpindi’s roads.
The security measures come as authorities prepare for possible developments linked to the PTI march and the party’s next course of action.
