ISLAMABAD, OCT 4: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed on Sunday that the primary reason for the failure of overnight talks was the federal government’s insistence that all anti-terrorism actions it unilaterally initiated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be owned by the provincial government.
In a statement posted on X, Raja said the PTI-TTAP team had stood firm on its principled position that anti-terrorism actions in KP would be based on agreement between the federal and KP governments and framed on the basis of consultation with, and the buy-in of, all political parties represented in the KP assembly.
He said the government team found this unacceptable and demanded instead that any unilaterally initiated federal actions be owned by the provincial government.
Raja said PTI had zero tolerance for terrorism and was committed to rooting it out, but also maintained a clear position against collateral damage in the form of innocent lives and internal displacement of local populations.
He said policies and actions aimed at fighting terrorism must have the support of the local population and be based on ground intelligence.
He said the wisdom provided by the jirga held in the KP assembly — involving all political and tribal notables of the province including from the merged districts — must be heeded, but this too was not acceptable to the federal government.
The statement came after two rounds of negotiations on Friday and Saturday between opposition and the PML-N-led federal government, aimed at averting PTI’s planned October 4 long march towards Islamabad, ended in deadlock in the early hours of Saturday without an agreement.
Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said differences remained over a meeting with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, access to his personal doctor, and clarity over military operations in areas hosting internally displaced persons.
He said the government had indicated it was not currently in a position to arrange a meeting with Khan, though meetings between his sisters and lawyers would be allowed.
PPP leader Sherry Rehman said the draft agreement had been revised four times, the government had heard PTI’s concerns, but there could be no compromise on terrorism. “They have refused agreement on the long march and other things,” she said.
PM’s adviser Rana Sanaullah said the provincial government must fulfil its constitutional responsibility regarding terrorism and alleged it had failed to give assurances about its role in counterterrorism. He warned the long march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad’s limits and said any unrest would be dealt with through the force of law.
The collapse came hours after a negotiating committee member had said the two sides had agreed on around 95% of issues and expected to resolve the remaining one or two points during the night.
Naqvi accuses KP CM of sabotage
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of sabotaging the negotiations at the last moment.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore today, Naqvi said 99% of the points had been agreed upon and that the agreement had been prepared.
He said he took a copy to President Asif Ali Zardari and upon returning found that several changes had been made to the draft by the KP chief minister.
“Unfortunately, the KP chief minister tried to sabotage the negotiations,” he said. He said four drafts had been prepared and amended during the negotiations.
