The second day of PTI's long march — which has remained peaceful so far — ended in Ferozewala on Saturday, with the party and the government still at loggerheads.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has refused to back down, and in an address to the participants on the second day, the ex-premier said that he would not allow "thieves" to rule the country and asked people to "snatch" freedom.
As Khan ups the ante, the government also has ruled out talks with the opposition party, terming the PTI chairman "a fitna (chaos monger)".
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday categorically ruled out any negotiations with Khan, saying he "does not want transparent elections but chaos and bloodshed in the country”.
The second day of the march ended in Ferozwala and will resume tomorrow at 11am from Muridke, the party's senior leader Fawad Chaudhry said.
This is the PTI chair's second march towards Islamabad after he was ousted via a no-confidence motion earlier this year.
The political instability in Pakistan has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international rating agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections.
Read on for the latest updates from Pakistan on PTI's long march.
Chairman PTI Imran Khan said that negotiations with the coalition government are possible only after it announces the date for early fair and free elections.
Taking to Twitter, he said this is the only demand he has had for the past six months.
He also rejected all rumours about the meeting in Lahore. He said the PTI long march returned because Lahore was near and it was decided that the protest march would not move at night.
Responding to the alleged video released by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Ali Amin Gandapur warned him to be prepared for PTI’s response in case “they [coalition government] attack the party leaders and workers marching towards Islamabad.
“They are threatening to kill us but I want to tell you we are not cowards,” he said, adding that the PTI is marching to get freedom and “we will stop only when we achieve our target.”
He called out Sanaullah saying “you are not James Bond instead you are a servant of the people.”
The long march is moving towards MuridKe from Ferozwala. The march will end for day two at MuridKe.
To prevent the possibility of anti-state commentary from going on-air during the live coverage of PTI's long march, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued guidelines for television channels.
PEMRA, in its notification, has directed channels to implement the delay mechanism while airing speeches of PTI's leaders, as they address the ongoing long march.
The regulatory authority also warned that licenses of channels not adhering to the guidelines would be suspended and revoked, while legal action would also be taken against them under PEMRA Ordinance 2002's Sections 27, 29, 30 and 33.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Saturday claimed PTI’s long march was aimed at shedding the blood of innocent people in the federal capital.
Addressing a press conference, Sanaullah said that PTI chief Imran Khan wanted to create such a law and order situation that triggers clashes between the people and law enforcement agencies.
He accused Khan of planning to spread chaos in the name of the long march, citing purported leaked audio of Ali Amin Gandapur, who can be heard speaking about bringing ammunition for the long march.
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Berating PTI Chairman Imran Khan over his recent rhetoric against the state institutions, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the former prime minister was building a narrative by targeting ISI and the armed forces in his speeches, which could be of an Indian, but not of any Pakistani.
He slammed Khan for allegedly defaming the state institutions.
On day two of his party's long march, PTI chair Imran Khan while addressing his supporters said that he is there to tell them what freedom is.
"Free men rule the world," he told his supporters at Lahore's Shahdara.
The PTI leader reiterated the alleged torture inflicted upon party leaders Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati. "First they tortured Shahbaz Gill and then the 75-year-old senator," he said.
"I want to convey a message that we are humans and not sheep," said Khan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday formed a committee to review, assess, and deal with the situation related to PTI's long march, sources revealed to Geo News.
According to the sources, the committee consists of 13 members from the federal cabinet. It will be headed by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.
Sources said that the committee has been formed to deal with the law and order situation, adding that if anyone wants to talk about the long march should talk to the committee.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday categorically ruled out any negotiations with PTI chair Imran Khan, saying he "does not want transparent elections but chaos and bloodshed in the country”.
In a statement, Aurangzeb said that the “real face of Imran Khan, his politics of lies and fake character have been exposed.”
She said the reality of “foreign-funded fitna” can no longer be hidden by “spreading the mental filth on the streets”.
PTI leader Asad Umar issued a clarification over his viral video in which he was seemingly having a heated discussion with Hammad Azhar, putting an end to the speculations on social media.
Taking to Twitter, Umar said that the discussion was about the generator which had broken down during the long march and the other generator was in one of the cars stuck in traffic.
He said that he was only angry because the other generator was taking too long to arrive at the container.
A video of PTI leader Asad Umar having what looks like an argument with Hammad Azhar during the long march has gone viral.
The video shows both PTI leaders engaging in a heated discussion with party chair Imran Khan standing with them.
The video has triggered several reactions from netizens with one of them saying that the argument was about the low turnout of the supporters.
The video was shared by many social media users. It was also shared by PML-N’s lawmaker Kheal Das Kohistani who claimed that "infighting in the anarchist gang is going on".
Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman criticised PTI Chairman Imran Khan, saying that by "Haqiqi Azadi", Imran means to say "enthrone me as the prime minister again".
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman slammed PTI’s long march, claiming that a “personal political battle is being fought” under its guise.
“The purpose of ‘haqeeqi azadi’ is to [say], ‘deal with me and put me on the seat of power’. The country is independent and the people are aware. If anything in this country is subservient, it is Imran Khan’s politics and thinking,” she said in a series of tweets.
Everyone has the right to peaceful protest but no one will be allowed to spread chaos in Islamabad, she said.
The PTI on Saturday announced that the membership of party leader Faisal Vawda stands terminated as he failed to respond to the show cause notice issued to him on October 26.
Vawda made claims that the party's long march would "witness bloodshed, death, and funerals." After this, the PTI suspended Vawda and said that he would not be allowed to hold any party office or represent the party in the media.
Ahead of the start of day two of PTI's long march, party leader Fawad Chaudhry said that this movement is aimed at empowering the nation and ensuring that decision-making is not done behind closed doors.
Fawad said people who are a part of this long march want to change the system for the next generation.
He announced the venue for the march and thanked PTI's supporters, especially women for being part of the march.
Islamabad police barred hotels and guest houses in the federal capital from providing accommodation to the participants of the long march.
The directive came with an official notification issued by the police this morning. It said hotels and guest houses will be checked on a daily basis.
Non-compliers will have to face strict action.