PTI blames govt’s ‘unilateral’ approach to KP counterterrorism for talks failure

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Salman Akram Raja has attributed the failure of government-opposition talks to a disagreement over the proposed framework for counterterrorism measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the federal government wanted the provincial government to own actions initiated unilaterally by the Centre.

In a post on X following the talks, Raja said the PTI-TTAP negotiating team had insisted that counterterrorism measures in KP should be based on an agreement between the federal and provincial governments and framed through consultation with and support from political parties represented in the provincial assembly.

Raja said this position was not acceptable to the government team, which, according to him, insisted that actions initiated unilaterally by the federal government would have to be owned by the provincial government.

He said the PTI-TTAP team had “zero tolerance for terrorism” and was committed to eliminating it, but opposed what it described as collateral damage involving civilian deaths and internal displacement.

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Raja said counterterrorism policies should have the support of local communities and be based on ground intelligence. He also called for the recommendations of a jirga held at the KP Assembly, comprising political and tribal leaders from across the province, including the merged districts, to be taken into account.

The development comes as second round of talks between the government and opposition ended without an agreement after more than eight hours of negotiations at the chambers of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq a day ago. The talks had been aimed at resolving differences over the PTI’s October 4 long march and other political and security-related issues.

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The government and opposition gave differing accounts of the reasons for the breakdown. The issue of access to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan was also among the outstanding matters, with opposition leaders seeking a meeting with him while the government maintained its position on the planned march.

Govt rejects Raja’s account

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar rejected Raja’s position, saying the federal government had already sought a joint mechanism with the KP government to combat terrorism.

In a response to Raja on X, Tarar questioned the KP government’s participation in federal and provincial apex committee meetings on terrorism and its implementation of the National Action Plan.

He also questioned the provincial government’s position on the Afghan Taliban administration and cross-border attacks, and criticised what he described as a lack of support for security forces and police personnel fighting terrorism in the province.

Tarar said the PTI was raising the issue of consultation when under political pressure and accused the KP government of failing to implement measures under the National Action Plan.

Sherry Rehman gives PPP account

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said the talks collapsed after the KP government declined to sign a draft agreement on counterterrorism cooperation with the federal government.

She said the draft had gone through four versions to accommodate changes proposed by the PTI and was intended to bring the provincial government into counterterrorism decisions.

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Sherry said KP government representatives had not joined the negotiations despite repeated requests, and accused the provincial government of introducing new conditions late in the talks.

She said the talks had been an opportunity to establish political confidence and cooperation between the federal and provincial governments.

KP govt rejects federal position

KP government spokesperson Shafi Jan rejected the government’s position, saying the negotiating committee had been given a full mandate to resolve political issues but that the authority of the provincial government rested with the chief minister.

He said the KP government’s policy could not contradict the position of PTI founder Imran and accused the federal government of seeking to target PTI rather than eliminate terrorism.

Jan called for a shift in counterterrorism policy, arguing that the province could not accept further civilian deaths and displacement. He said decisions affecting KP should not be taken without consultation with the province.

The breakdown came as the PTI maintained its October 4 long march plan. The party had postponed the protest from September 27 to October 4 while negotiations with the government were pursued.

PM, PML-N supremo discuss political situation

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met in Lahore on Sunday, state media Radio Pakistan reported.

During the meeting, the overall political situation in the country was discussed in detail. Matters of international importance also came under discussion.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also present on the occasion.

On the other hand, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the leadership of PTI has been facilitating terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has resulted in the rising challenges of security in the province.

In his statement on a social media platform, he said, “The nation will hold the KP government accountable for the martyrdom of several civilians and military personnel in the wake of terrorist activities in the province.”

The defence minister said the PTI founder supported the settlement of those elements in KP who backed terrorism. His speeches in the National Assembly and the media’s record bear witness to this fact, he added.

He pointed out that every PTI chief minister, after losing power in the Centre attacked the federation. He termed Islamabad as the symbol of federation’s unity and the identity of 250 million Pakistanis.

Asif said the martyrs sacrificed their lives while safeguarding their homeland, and recalled the military operation last year that shattered the enemy’s arrogance.

The Pakistani nation and the valiant armed forces dare to confront any internal or external enemies.