Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi made extensive efforts to mediate with PTI leaders during the recent protest march, even providing a helicopter for two party leaders to reach Hassan Abdal, located 45 kilometers from Islamabad. Their mission was to convince Bushra Bibi to avoid marching towards D-Chowk, but she refused to heed their advice.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was also against Bushra Bibi joining the march from Peshawar. Despite his attempts to persuade her to stay back, she insisted on leading the protest from a container. Sources revealed that Gandapur and Bushra Bibi had a disagreement on this issue.
In the days leading up to the November 24 protest, there were opportunities for dialogue between the government and PTI. Three days before the march, discussions could have progressed, but PTI founder Imran Khan demanded his release by the following Friday, a condition the government rejected. Over the next two days, PTI leaders reached out to the government, including Interior Minister Naqvi, to discuss the protest’s destination in light of the Islamabad High Court’s decision. However, they were denied permission to meet Imran Khan.
For the first two days of the negotiations, Gandapur and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan were facilitated to meet Imran at Adiala Jail with Naqvi’s assistance. On the second day of the protest, Barrister Gohar and Barrister Saif met Imran again, after which he agreed to stage a sit-in at Sangjani, on the outskirts of Islamabad, instead of marching to D-Chowk. Imran also spoke to Gandapur over the phone and considered issuing a video message to clarify his decision. However, he ultimately refrained, fearing potential editing of the message.
Despite these efforts, Bushra Bibi remained determined to lead the march to D-Chowk. Her stance was communicated to her by Gandapur, Omar Ayub, and others, but she refused to change course. Naqvi arranged a helicopter for Barrister Gohar and Barrister Saif to reach Hassan Abdal and persuade her, but by the time they arrived, the march had already advanced towards Islamabad.
Sources noted that Naqvi also contacted Gandapur and Omar Ayub for assistance, but they were unable to influence Bushra Bibi, who maintained complete control over the protest. Some PTI leaders who interacted with the interior minister acknowledged his efforts to facilitate dialogue and work towards a peaceful resolution. Unfortunately, these attempts did not yield formal negotiations.
