Islamabad (Pakistan) (AFP) – Talks were held on Friday between the Pakistani government and the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan over a protest march on Islamabad, barricaded in anticipation.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 14:26

State broadcaster PTV announced that meetings had ended for the day and would resume on Saturday.

President Asif Ali Zardari's office had indicated that representatives of the government and Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were to meet on Friday to discuss the protests, planned for Sunday after being postponed until September 27.

The stated objective of this march is to obtain the release of Imran Khan by blocking Islamabad, already barricaded in anticipation.

Maritime containers requisitioned by the authorities have been placed for weeks along the main roads and at strategic entry points to the Pakistani capital, in order to block demonstrators.

AFP journalists saw the corrugated iron shipping containers stacked two levels high, blocking access to Islamabad's heavily-secured government district, known as the "Red Zone".

Riding around the blockade on the back of a motorcycle, Arif Hussain Zahidi, 65, a retired government employee, laments Khan's ouster in 2022, before the popular politician can complete a full term.

“They didn’t let him complete his two and a half years,” the retired government employee told AFP. "But the problems remain exactly the same. Our debts keep increasing," he added.

Mubashir Aziz Afridi, 29, a dental assistant also in the Red Zone, calls for dialogue between political leaders.

"The government should sit around a table and sort through their demands. The sit-ins keep coming. Today it's someone demonstrating, tomorrow it will be someone else."

- “Positive spirit” -

In a statement on Friday, the PTI said it was ready to launch protests, but party official Haleem Adil Sheikh said talks could move forward if the government was flexible on demands such as the release of Mr. Khan's sisters, arrested in September.

“We are speaking with the government today in a positive spirit,” said Haleem Adil Sheikh.

A former cricket star, Mr. Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 on charges ranging from corruption to treason to inciting violence, following anti-government riots in May 2023. He rejects these allegations and believes he is being targeted for his popularity.

The requisition of shipping containers by authorities has impacted transport companies, with drivers hesitant to use certain routes for fear that their cargoes would be seized and used as barriers.

Imdad Hussain Naqvi, an official with the All Pakistan Freight Transport Owners Association, told AFP that more than 2,500 containers had been blocked by police in and around Islamabad. "The government doesn't even pay us for the containers. Our containers have been stuck for almost 25 days," he said.

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.