Pakistan, October 7 – Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited supporters of jailed former premier Imran Khan for talks as they continue a long march towards Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release.
The offer came on Tuesday as the protesters led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, advanced towards the capital. The march which began from Peshawar on October 4 had reached about 30 kilometres from the city and was around 180 kilometres from Islamabad.
However, Imran supporters rejected the government’s invitation saying they would not compromise on their demand for Khan’s release.
The government has warned that prolonged protests could disrupt efforts to stabilise the economy. Sharif said his administration had worked for two and a half years to strengthen the economy and warned that attempts to derail those efforts would be treated as hostility towards the state.
Authorities have deployed additional security personnel and placed containers on roads leading to Islamabad to prevent the protesters from entering the capital.
Government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) representatives held two rounds of talks last week but failed to reach an agreement. PTI had demanded access to Khan and treatment by a private doctor while the government called for the long march and protests to be suspended.
