Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has told Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to call off its march toward Islamabad or face action under the law, while also saying the government remains willing to resume political talks.
The warning adds a new phase to the confrontation between the government and PTI after earlier negotiations failed to produce an agreement and the opposition continued its mobilisation toward the federal capital.
Shehbaz said the government would not allow the march to enter Islamabad in violation of the law. At the same time, he renewed an offer for dialogue, presenting talks as an available route for resolving the political dispute without further confrontation.
The prime minister said a draft agreement had been prepared during the earlier round of negotiations. PTI has disputed the government’s account of why those talks failed, so the competing descriptions of the negotiations remain political claims rather than an agreed version of events.
The earlier discussions had included counterterrorism cooperation, concerns surrounding Imran Khan’s health and access to him, and legal cases involving the former prime minister and other PTI figures.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz have also been reported as favouring another attempt at dialogue before the government considers further measures. The renewed invitation therefore comes alongside, rather than instead of, the government’s warning over the march.
The confrontation has already prompted security measures in Punjab, where authorities imposed restrictions on public gatherings for 10 days as the PTI mobilisation moved toward Islamabad.
The immediate question is whether PTI responds to the new offer or continues its march. The government’s position is that political engagement remains possible but that any attempt to enter Islamabad in defiance of restrictions will be dealt with under the law.
For readers, the important development is not that a new agreement has been reached — none has been announced — but that the prime minister has combined a direct warning with a fresh public offer to reopen negotiations.
That leaves both tracks open: renewed talks if the sides agree to return to the table, or a sharper security confrontation if the march continues toward the capital.
Pakistan Report illustration.