Gohar Urges Dialogue as PTI Prepares for September 27 Islamabad March

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan called for dialogue between the government and his party on Thursday as political tensions intensified ahead of the opposition party's planned September 27 march toward Islamabad. Speaking to journalists at Parliament, Gohar said negotiations were necessary to prevent confrontation and argued that political disputes should be resolved through engagement rather than escalating tensions on the streets.

Gohar said the party's announced protest programme remained unchanged and reiterated PTI's position that its supporters intended to demonstrate peacefully. He urged authorities to listen to the party's grievances and criticised measures being prepared to control protesters, including the reported availability of net-launching equipment for law-enforcement personnel in the federal capital.

The PTI chairman said the party did not want members of the public and law-enforcement personnel to confront one another. He described the current dispute as increasingly driven by political confrontation and appealed for both sides to find a route toward de-escalation. His remarks came as federal and provincial authorities continued security preparations ahead of the planned mobilisation.

Gohar also defended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying he retained the confidence of PTI founder Imran Khan and the party. He argued that the mandate of the provincial government and its elected lawmakers should be respected. Gohar further alleged that the province was effectively facing an undeclared form of governor's rule, an assertion reflecting PTI's political position rather than an officially declared constitutional measure.

PTI has announced the September 27 march as part of its campaign over the imprisonment of its founder and other political and constitutional demands. Party leaders have repeatedly said the demonstration will remain peaceful. Federal and provincial authorities, meanwhile, have maintained that existing public-order laws and court directions will be enforced and have cited security and law-and-order concerns while preparing for the mobilisation.

Islamabad has been under restrictions on public gatherings, while security arrangements have also been tightened in parts of Punjab and on routes leading toward the federal capital. Authorities have prepared personnel and traffic-control measures as they assess how large the mobilisation could become. Previous road restrictions and preventive detentions have already affected political workers and travel in some areas.

The competing positions have made dialogue a central issue in the days immediately preceding the planned march. PTI says its political grievances have not been adequately addressed despite approaches through Parliament and the courts, while the government has stressed that demonstrations cannot be allowed to disrupt public order or threaten security. Both sides have publicly presented themselves as seeking to avoid violence while remaining firm on their respective positions.

Attention will now turn to whether formal talks take place before September 27 and whether any agreement can be reached on the location, route or conditions of the planned protest. Security agencies are expected to continue preparations, while PTI leadership is likely to finalise mobilisation plans before the weekend. Any fresh negotiations or changes in restrictions could determine whether the confrontation eases or the march proceeds under heightened security measures.