Gohar Asks Govt for Talks as Rangers Deployed Before PTI March

The federal government has sent Pakistan Rangers into Islamabad and several districts of Punjab ahead of the PTI long march planned for Sunday, September 27. On Thursday, as the move was announced, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stood outside Parliament in Islamabad and asked the government to start talks. He said the party did not want its workers and the police to come face to face on the roads.

With only a few days left, the two sides remain far apart. The government says the march will not be allowed to reach the capital. The PTI says it will go ahead with its plan and that nothing will change.

What the Interior Ministry Has Ordered

A notification from the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control allows Rangers to stay deployed from September 20 to October 5. The ministry acted on requests from the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad and the Home Department of the Punjab government. The Punjab government had asked for Rangers in four districts: Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali.

The Rangers have been sent under Sections 7(b) and 10 of the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance 1959 and Sections 4 and 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. Their job is to help the police keep law and order. The notification also says that if armed or violent groups attack, the Rangers and police can take all necessary action in self defence. They have been told to protect public property and people's lives.

Other steps have also been taken. Section 144, which bans public gatherings, has been imposed in Islamabad and several parts of Punjab. On Wednesday, trucks were placed on the Islamabad Peshawar Motorway to block it, according to news agency photos. Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs, has said that roads are still open and that containers were placed only as a safety step.

Gohar Says the Fight Has Become About Egos

Speaking to reporters, Barrister Gohar said talks were needed because a big political party was getting ready to march. He said the whole matter had turned into a "battle of egos" and that the government must put its ego aside. He also asked the government not to use net launchers against the people joining the march.

"We are peaceful and are coming out for our rights," Gohar said. He said PTI workers should be heard and given justice, not handled with force. According to him, ministers can say what they want, but none of them has said that the government listened to PTI and gave it justice.

Gohar also rejected claims that the march is a threat to Islamabad or to state institutions. He said PTI had always been peaceful and would stay peaceful. He warned that if the government kept painting the party in this way, a major party with wide public support could be pushed out of politics. He said this could have "very dangerous consequences".

Claims About Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Gohar was asked whether the party still trusted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He said Imran Khan had full confidence in Afridi and that Afridi would remain chief minister with the support of the whole party.

He also accused the federal government of running an "undeclared governor's rule" in the province. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is autonomous and its people, its mandate and its elected members must be respected. He said provincial ministers should not go missing in their own province and assembly members should not be arrested for political reasons. The government has not publicly accepted these charges.

This follows a sharp exchange earlier this week. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi spoke of a "once and for all" solution and did not rule out governor's rule in the province. Chief Minister Afridi reacted angrily in the provincial assembly. Afridi has also said the march will be a long movement, not a short protest. "The long march is not a T20; it will be a Test match," he said.

What PTI Wants and What the Government Says

The PTI says its main demand is the release of its founder Imran Khan, who is in jail. Party leaders have also asked that he get proper medical treatment, that his court cases be heard, and that he be allowed to meet his family and lawyers. Gohar has claimed that around 1,500 party workers, five members of the National Assembly and one senator have been arrested. These figures come from the party and have not been independently confirmed.

Rana Sanaullah has said there can be no talks with PTI unless the march is postponed. He admitted there was some backdoor contact with the party's leadership but said that, in practice, no march would take place. Dawn newspaper has reported that PTI was told the march would not be allowed to reach Islamabad, and that some goodwill offers were made through backchannel contacts. This report has not been officially confirmed, and government and PTI officials have given different accounts of these contacts.

There were also reports that PTI might delay the march until October. The party has denied this. Its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information secretary, Shaukat Yousafzai, said no proposal to postpone had even been discussed. He also said workers must not carry sticks, slingshots or any weapons, and anyone who did would have no link with the party.

Why This Matters for Ordinary Pakistanis

Pakistan has seen this kind of standoff before. In November 2024, a PTI march reached Islamabad and ended in a violent night near D Chowk. Thousands of people were arrested, and both sides still give very different numbers of people killed. That memory is one reason why both the government and the PTI are now talking so much about staying peaceful.

For common people, a march and a security lockdown bring real problems. Blocked roads make it hard to reach offices, schools and hospitals. Goods trucks get stuck, which can push up prices in local markets. Daily wage workers in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and nearby cities often lose income when roads close. During past protests, mobile internet was also suspended in some areas, though no such order has been announced this time.

People living in or travelling to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali over the weekend should check traffic updates from the police before leaving home. The coming days will show whether the two sides sit down and talk, or whether the roads fill with containers and crowds once again.