ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday that formal negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could not proceed unless the party postponed its planned September 27 long march.
Speaking to a private television channel, Rana said containers had been placed along roadsides in Islamabad as a security measure, adding that the roads remained open.
He said backchannel contacts with the PTI leadership were still continuing, but formal talks could not begin while the party maintained its plan for the long march.
Rana said the PTI was currently issuing statements about the proposed march but suggested that it would not materialise in practical terms.
He also warned that no one would be allowed to “storm” Islamabad, stressing that the government would not permit such an action in the capital.
The government’s remarks come amid continued political tensions over the PTI’s planned protest campaign.
