Government-PTI Talks Collapse as Interior Minister Accuses KP Chief Minister of Sabotage

Islamabad — Negotiations between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf collapsed on Sunday after hours-long talks at Parliament House ended without an agreement, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced, as PTI’s long march toward Islamabad got underway.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said “talks have collapsed” and accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of sabotaging the dialogue, according to SABAH. He said 99 per cent of the points in a draft agreement had been settled, and that four drafts were prepared and amended during Saturday’s round before the provincial side backed away.

Naqvi said the KP government had agreed to sign a written counterterrorism cooperation plan within 72 hours — covering police capacity building, implementation of the National Action Plan and a review of the KP Police Act — but withdrew at the final stage, according to the Khyber Chronicles and DNA News Agency. He also warned that Afridi would be held responsible for any loss of life during the march.

PTI presented a different account. Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the deadlock stemmed from the government’s insistence that the province formally own all federal counterterrorism actions in KP, while senior leader Asad Qaiser said access to jailed party founder Imran Khan by his personal physicians remained a central unresolved issue.

Meanwhile, Afridi launched the long march from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on Sunday, addressing thousands of supporters and declaring “we are not yes-men”. He said he would announce the next course of action when the convoy reaches Khairabad on October 8.

Sources

• SABAH
• DNA News Agency
• The Frontier Post