Naqvi says Centre tried for a month to engage KP government

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the federal government made repeated attempts to bring the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on board in the fight against terrorism but failed to reach an agreement.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, Naqvi outlined the federal government’s efforts to resolve its differences with the provincial administration.

The briefing came after the federal government announced emergency measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing concerns over the provincial government’s efforts to combat terrorism.

Naqvi said the federal government had spent more than a month trying to secure the KP government’s cooperation on counterterrorism. He added that he had personally remained in contact with provincial officials through backchannel communications to find common ground.

“Today was not an easy day for us,” Naqvi said, explaining that the federal government’s primary objective had been to work jointly with the provincial administration against militancy.

He maintained that the Centre wanted both governments to coordinate their efforts rather than allow political differences to obstruct counterterrorism operations.

The interior minister also questioned the timing of PTI’s planned long march towards Islamabad. He claimed that several demands raised by the party were already under consideration before it announced the protest. According to Naqvi, some members of the party had also questioned the need for the march.

Recalling earlier efforts to ease tensions, Naqvi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had sought a meeting with the opposition leader in the National Assembly in September.

According to the minister, the prime minister proposed holding talks and establishing a committee to address the political dispute and explore the possibility of postponing the planned march.

Naqvi said the prime minister was scheduled to travel to New York on September 17. The government therefore wanted the meeting to take place on September 15 or 16, before his departure, to help defuse tensions.

However, he claimed that the government did not receive confirmation despite efforts to arrange the meeting on September 13 or 14.

The interior minister said the government had been trying to create an opportunity for dialogue before the prime minister’s overseas visit. He added that a subsequent meeting between the prime minister and President Asif Ali Zardari led to the formation of a committee, which he also joined.

The federal government and PTI have remained at odds over several issues, particularly the strategy for tackling terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These disagreements were also among the factors behind the breakdown of talks between the two sides on October 3.

Naqvi’s remarks underline the government’s position that it had pursued negotiations and sought provincial cooperation before taking further measures. PTI, meanwhile, has opposed the federal government’s actions in KP and maintained that the province’s constitutional rights and elected leadership must be respected.