Tens of thousands of followers of Maulana Fazal-ur Rehman have gathered in Islamabad, calling for the resignation of what they say is an illegitimate government. Pakistan’s prime minister has rejected demands that he step down. Other opposition parties have supported the anti-government protest but rejected taking it inside Pakistan’s capital. The government on Monday reached out to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, sending two separate delegations to his residence in Islamabad to break an impasse in the wake of the opposition’s ‘Azadi March’.
A government delegation, led by former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain met Fazl on Monday night, hours after government’s negotiating team, led by Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, held talks with the Rehbar Committee and discussed their demands. The meeting between Fazl and Hussain was also attended by Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Senator Talha Mehmood, provincial minister Hafiz Ammar Yasir and opposition Rehbar Committee Convenor Akram Durrani. Talking to the media on the occasion, Elahi said that he had come for reconciliation and expressed the hope that all issues would be resolved amicably. He added that he would apprise Prime Minister Imran Khan about their talks with the JUI-F chief. Earlier, the government’s negotiating team and the opposition’s Rehbar Committee sat face-to-face on Monday. However, the head of the government team, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, and his counterpart in the Rehbar Committee, Akram Durani, indicated that neither side signalled any sign of conceding any ground. The Rehbar Committee presented the opposition’s four demands, including resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and fresh elections in the country without the supervision of the military. The government side demanded of the committee to end the sit-in. The talks were held at the Islamabad residence of Fazl. The government’s team also included Speaker Asad Qaiser, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri and former finance minister Asad Umar. According to sources, the government side sought an end to the ‘Azadi March’. Khattak said that the government was willing to listen to the opposition’s conditions but the demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan was a non-serious one. “About the opposition’s allegations of rigging in the 2018 election, investigation can be carried out by the relevant forums,” a source quoted the government negotiators as telling the Rehbar Committee. Durrani, the Convenor of the Rehbar Committee, told reporters after the meeting that both sides discussed at length each other’s demands and now they would hold another round of talks on Tuesday (today) after consulting their respective leaderships. “The Rehbar Committee put forth their old demands,” Durrani told reporters. “Both sides debated them at length. It has been agreed that both sides will meet again on Tuesday. The government side will bring its reply at 3pm today.” On the occasion, Khattak expressed his pleasure that there was no violation of the agreement between the authorities and the march leaders. “Today, we heard [their] demands. We will talk to our leaderships and will meet again tomorrow (today). Hopefully, we will reach some conclusion soon.”
The talks were held after both sides held their separate high-level parleys in the federal capital. The opposition parties gathered in an All Parties Conference (APC) convened by the JUI-F, while Prime Minister Imran chaired a meeting of parliamentary party of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The participants agreed to keep the option of talks with government open. They also decided to continue to hold their consultations, the sources said. According to a private TV channel, Prime Minister Imran chaired a meeting of parliamentary party of the PTI and its allies. During the meeting, Imran clarified that government was not part of any deal and that there would be no compromise on corruption cases. “Our stance is clear that no one will get NRO,” the channel quoted the prime minister as telling the participants of the meeting, while referring to an amnesty granted to the politicians by then military ruler Pervez Musharraf 12 years ago. The meeting rejected the opposition’s demand for resignation of the prime minister. The PTI parliamentary party reposed full confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and assured him of its full support. Imran said that the opposition wanted anarchy in the country but “we must promote government’s stance”. He added that the opposition would not be allowed to derail the progress and “we will face them in political arena”
Saturday, May 2, 2026
