Government and PTI Hold Second Round of Talks, No Deal Before 4 October March

The government, the PPP and the PTI-led opposition held a second round of talks at Parliament House in Islamabad on Saturday 3 October 2026. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chaired it. By 20:00 PKT no agreement had been announced, and PTI still said its 4 October march would go ahead.

Radio Pakistan, the state broadcaster, confirmed the round was under way and named everyone at the table. We read its report. It did not report an outcome or a joint statement by the time we checked. One report on Saturday evening said the two sides had started work on a joint draft. No official body has confirmed that.

This follows the first round of talks on 2 October, which also ended with no deal announced.

The second round started late and no deal was announced by 20:00

The second round of government and PTI talks began on Saturday afternoon, later than planned. By 20:00 PKT, no agreement, joint statement or date for a third round had been published by the Speaker's office, Radio Pakistan or either party.

The meeting was first set for 2pm in the Speaker's chamber. Reports say the National Assembly Secretariat moved it to 3pm, and it actually began at about 4:45pm. Radio Pakistan said the Speaker "expressed hope that all sides would continue the talks in a cordial atmosphere, as they did during yesterday's meeting."

One report on Saturday evening, citing unnamed sources, said the teams had narrowed some differences and were working on the wording of a joint draft and declaration. We could not confirm this from any official statement. Until the Speaker's office or the parties say so on the record, treat it as unconfirmed.

Six members sat for the opposition and seven for the government side

Radio Pakistan named the people at Saturday's meeting. The government side had four federal members and three PPP members. The opposition had six members led by PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. Reports add a fifth government member.

The government and PPP team was formed on 1 October after President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met.

PTI says the 4 October march is still on

PTI said on Saturday that its march would go ahead on 4 October. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is leading it, said in a post on X that it would start from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat. Reports put the start time at 1pm.

Before the meeting, Gohar Ali Khan told reporters that PTI had come "with very good intentions" and that progress would depend on the government's attitude, as reported. PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja said any decision on the march would be made jointly with Afridi, also as reported.

The government side kept asking for the march to be called off. Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister's adviser, urged PTI to withdraw it, according to reports. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said her party wanted "a way forward in parliament, as opposed to the streets", as reported.

Tension outside the room was also visible. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif posted criticism of the march on X before the meeting. PTI leader Asad Qaiser called his tone "extremely inappropriate", as reported. Reports also say PTI objected to media remarks by two members of the government team.

The government says no Islamabad roads are blocked

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on 3 October that no roads in Islamabad were blocked. Radio Pakistan carried its statement. The ministry said containers had been placed "as a precaution" to follow the Islamabad High Court's directions to protect citizens and lawful movement.

We read the Motorway Police travel board at about 20:05 PKT on Saturday. It showed:

1. M-1 Peshawar to Islamabad: "Road & Weather Clear", updated 19:44.
2. M-14 Hakla to D.I. Khan: "Road & Weather Clear".
3. GT Road Peshawar to Islamabad: "Road & Weather Clear", last updated at 07:17.
4. Other closures on the board were for road work only, not for the march.
5. Helplines: 130 for the Motorway Police and 1915 for Islamabad Traffic Police.

We found no new Section 144 order or traffic plan for 4 October on the Islamabad Police or Islamabad administration websites when we checked. Our page on Islamabad roads and containers before 4 October has the container points reported so far. The Section 144 orders issued in September are listed with their end dates.

Travel plans for Sunday depend on what is announced tonight

If you plan to travel to or from Islamabad on Sunday 4 October, check the road status in the morning. Road status can change overnight, as it did before the earlier march date of 27 September, and no official closure plan had been published by Saturday evening.

Before the 27 September date, the same roads were closed with containers for days. Our record of the Islamabad road closures on 27 September shows how quickly that happened. We will not guess what happens next. We will report what the Speaker's office, Radio Pakistan or the parties state on the record.

Common questions

Did the government and PTI reach an agreement on 3 October?

None was announced by 20:00 PKT. One report said both sides were working on a joint draft, but no official body has confirmed it.

Is PTI's 4 October march cancelled?

No, not as of Saturday evening. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said it will start from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat, and PTI leaders repeated that the march is on.

Who attended the second round of talks?

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq chaired. Radio Pakistan named four federal members, three PPP members and six opposition members led by Gohar Ali Khan.

Are roads into Islamabad closed?

Not on Saturday evening. The Motorway Police board showed the M-1, M-14 and GT Road clear, and the Information Ministry said no Islamabad roads were blocked.

Is there a new Section 144 order for 4 October?

We did not find one on the Islamabad Police or Islamabad administration websites when we checked on Saturday evening.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We last checked on Saturday 3 October 2026 at about 20:10 PKT. We read Radio Pakistan's reports that the second round of talks was under way and that no roads were blocked in Islamabad, and the Motorway Police travel advisory. The National Assembly Speaker's press releases page had nothing on the talks. The start time, the draft report and quotes given to reporters are marked as reported.