PTI Chairman Imran Khan is leading the long march toward Islamabad for the third day from Muridke on Sunday with the party and the government still at loggerheads.
The second day of the march ended peacefully in Ferozewla on Saturday.
The former prime minister refused to back down, and in an address to the participants on the second day, the ex-premier said that he would not allow “thieves” to rule the country and asked people to “snatch” freedom.
As Khan ups the ante, the government also has ruled out talks with the opposition party, terming the PTI chairman “a fitna (chaos monger)”.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday categorically ruled out any negotiations with Khan, saying he “does not want transparent elections but chaos and bloodshed in the country”.
This is the PTI chair’s second march towards Islamabad after he was ousted via a no-confidence motion earlier this year.
The political instability in Pakistan has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international rating agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections.