PTI Postpones Rawalpindi Rally as Pakistan Prepares to Host US–Iran Peace Talks
By Zeeshan Naseem :
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday postponed its planned April 9 public rally at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi following government requests linked to upcoming US–Iran peace talks scheduled in Islamabad.
The decision was announced after negotiations between senior government officials and opposition leaders at Parliament House. Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the rally was deferred after the PTI political committee agreed to the request in view of the sensitive diplomatic engagements taking place in the capital.
A government delegation — including Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and lawmakers Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar — met opposition representatives to seek cooperation in postponing the gathering.
Earlier, Tarar had addressed the National Assembly, urging opposition parties to reconsider protest plans and emphasising the importance of national unity as Pakistan prepares to host delegations from the United States and Iran for talks aimed at consolidating a ceasefire agreement.
However, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the postponement was made following instructions from the party’s jailed founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
He said the party received a message from Khan through Barrister Salman Safdar, who met the former premier at Adiala Jail earlier in the day. According to Gohar, the PTI political committee also held a meeting to review the situation before confirming the decision.
The PTI leader said the party’s political actions were guided by the national interest and welcomed the announcement of a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, expressing hope that it would lead to a permanent peace agreement.
Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic channel between Tehran and Washington since the conflict between the two countries began on February 28.
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that both sides — along with their allies — had agreed to a two-week ceasefire following mediation efforts by Pakistan.
The prime minister has invited delegations from the US and Iran to Islamabad to continue negotiations aimed at reaching a final settlement.
In a message posted on social media platform X, he thanked the leadership of both countries and confirmed that talks would be held in Islamabad on April 10 to seek a comprehensive agreement to resolve the conflict.
He later added that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had confirmed Tehran’s participation in the Islamabad talks aimed at advancing the peace process.
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