Naqvi accuses KP CM of sabotaging negotiations

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said negotiations between the federal government and the opposition have failed, blaming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for what he described as the last-minute derailment of the talks.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Naqvi said the negotiations had made significant progress before the process broke down. He claimed that almost all political issues had been settled, while the main disagreement centred on counterterrorism measures in KP.

Naqvi said the government delegation had remained engaged with the opposition for hours and had made every effort to reach an agreement. However, he alleged that the KP chief minister later sought major changes to the draft agreement that had already been discussed.

According to the minister, the government wanted the KP administration to take ownership of counterterrorism measures and cooperate with the federal authorities and security forces. He said the federal side could not accept a situation in which security operations were treated as a political matter.

Naqvi also warned that the government would not allow PTI’s planned long march to violate court orders or create a law-and-order situation in Islamabad. He said protesters would be dealt with according to the law if they attempted to breach restrictions.

The interior minister said the government had not initially demanded that PTI cancel its march. However, he maintained that peaceful protest could not be used as a pretext for disrupting public order or violating judicial directions.

The negotiations were held to resolve differences between the federal government and PTI ahead of the party’s planned October 4 march towards Islamabad. The talks continued late into the night but ended without a final agreement.

Opposition representatives said the deadlock involved several issues, including access to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan’s personal doctors and the framework for counterterrorism operations in KP.

Naqvi said the proposed counterterrorism understanding included measures against militant groups, prevention of terrorist safe havens, implementation of the National Action Plan and increased cooperation between the provincial government and security forces.

He also said the discussions covered the security situation in the former tribal areas and the need for greater provincial ownership of counterterrorism efforts.

Sohail Afridi, however, rejected the allegations and shared his version of the proposed agreement. He said the demands presented by the opposition were constitutional and lawful.

The KP chief minister called for regular consultations between the federal and provincial governments on political and security matters. He also sought guarantees regarding the legal, medical and human rights of Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.

Afridi said PTI could reconsider its planned march if the federal government provided written assurances for implementing the agreed measures. He added that the party would retain the right to stage peaceful and lawful protests if those assurances were not honoured.

KP Information Minister Shafiullah Jan also defended the provincial government’s position. He argued that counterterrorism policy required consultation with the province and warned against relying exclusively on military measures.

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman, who participated in the negotiations, also criticised the KP government. She alleged that the provincial administration refused to endorse a previously agreed draft on cooperation with the Centre.

Rehman said the federal negotiating team had repeatedly sought direct participation from the KP government. She argued that the absence of the chief minister or his representatives made it difficult to resolve the remaining differences.