ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi engaged with several PTI leaders to mediate during the protest march. He even provided a helicopter to two leaders to travel to Hassan Abdal to convince Bushra Bibi not to proceed to D-Chowk.
However, she refused to heed their advice and forwarded the convoy to D-Chowk.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was also against Bushra Bibi joining the march from Peshawar. He urged her to stay back, but she was adamant and took a leading role by boarding a container to lead the protest.
In the days leading up to the march, there were opportunities for a breakthrough in the background negotiations between the government and PTI leadership. Three days before the November 24 protest, both sides had the chance to enter formal talks.
However, PTI’s founder, Imran Khan, made his release from custody by Friday a precondition, which the government rejected. Over the next two days, PTI leaders attempted to meet Imran Khan to persuade him to alter the march’s destination from D-Chowk, in line with an Islamabad High Court ruling, but they were denied access to him.
For two days during these negotiations, Gandapur and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan were facilitated to meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail, with Mohsin Naqvi playing a key role in seeking a resolution. On the second day of the protest march, Barrister Gohar and Barrister Saif were again allowed to meet Imran Khan, who eventually agreed to shift the protest to Sangjani, on the outskirts of Islamabad, and instructed the party leadership to continue their sit-in there until further progress in the dialogue.
There was a proposal for Imran Khan to issue a video message directing supporters to move to Sangjani, but he declined. Instead, his instructions were conveyed to Bushra Bibi by leaders such as Gandapur and Omar Ayub. Despite their efforts, she insisted on proceeding to D-Chowk.
