With the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) maintaining its call for a September 27 march towards Islamabad, recent contacts between the party leadership and authorities have failed to produce any breakthrough, primarily because of a deep trust deficit between the two sides, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The contacts, held in the recent past against the backdrop of growing tensions over the proposed march, reportedly revolved around the possibility of de-escalating the situation if the PTI agreed to call off the September 27 mobilisation and gave an assurance that it would not resort in future to protest strategies involving prolonged sit-ins, road blockades or direct confrontations with law-enforcement agencies.

According to the people familiar with the discussions, the authorities conveyed that such a commitment could potentially open the way for certain concessions or relaxation in the treatment of some of the issues concerning PTI founder Imran Khan and his family. These included consideration of the shifting of Bushra Bibi to Bani Gala, arrangements for Khan's transfer to a hospital for medical treatment and greater facilitation of meetings with him.

However, the proposed relaxation was linked to an understanding that the facilities available to Khan and his wife would not be used for political activity. Meetings with Khan in accordance with applicable rules could be facilitated, but political mobilisation or political activity from inside the prison would not be acceptable, the sources said. The discussions, however, did not lead to an agreement, with the trust deficit between the two sides emerging as a major obstacle.