Afridi accused of derailing negotiations: There can be no talks unless PTI cancels long march: Talal
ISLAMABAD: Accusing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister of derailing government-opposition talks, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Tuesday said that further talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could continue only on the condition that the provincial government fully endorsed all action against terrorism and cancelled its long march planned to “invade” the federal capital.
Addressing a press conference, Chaudhry also made it clear that no further talks would be held with the PTI until there was a 100 percent consensus on the anti-terrorism measures earlier mentioned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, or until positive decisions were made regarding them
The day after the talks failed, Naqvi tweeted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had agreed to sign a written agreement and submit an implementation plan within 72 hours.
The agreement was to cover the reconsideration of the Police Act 2026 in light of the security situation and the need to protect security matters from political interference; preventing terrorists from operating freely or finding safe havens in the province; the unequivocal condemnation of the TTP, TTA, and all other terrorist groups; support for the national policy on Afghan refugees, including repatriation and dismantling of Afghan camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; full provincial ownership of counterterrorism measures; stronger cooperation with the Armed Forces; and the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).
When asked about imposition of an emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that constitutional options were under discussion, but the political option remained the first choice.
“Negotiation and resolving the matter in the parliament was the first option,” he said.
To a question about the government’s strategy to deal with the marchers, he said that they[PTI]were under a misunderstanding. “The way their misunderstanding will be cleared this time, I think no long march will be held in Pakistan in the future,” he stated.
“I am saying this with full responsibility that the government has made all arrangements, including constitutional and political, to deal with them,” the minister said.
Chaudhry stated that significant progress had been made between the government and the opposition on the basic framework of the agreement during the first day of talks.
A consensus had been reached on political and terrorism-related matters, and both sides had agreed to continue their dialogue the following day.
He said that the opposition members went back to Peshawar and held a meeting with the chief minister and their senior leadership. After obtaining assurances regarding terrorism-related matters, the opposition team rejoined the negotiations the next day.
Chaudhry further said that the interior minister contacted the opposition team the night before the talks, told them to include a representative from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government or Chief Minister SohailAfridi in the dialogue.
However, the opposition team informed the interior minister that they had a full mandate to conduct the negotiations.
The state minister said that after meeting with their leadership in Peshawar, the opposition team assured the government team of a 100 percent consensus on terrorism-related matters. Furthermore, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had also informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that both the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the PTI were in full agreement on the issue of terrorism, he said.
Chaudhry said that the prime minister told the interior minister that the opposition should be given as much political space as possible, but emphasized that national security must not be compromised for political gains.
The minister stated that an agreement had been reached between the government and the opposition team regarding terrorism-related matters on the second day of the talks.
The initial framework for the second day’s dialogue encompassed political issues, including the health of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, scheduled meetings with him, and various legal cases involving PTI leaders, he said.
The minister said the government believed that the talks could lead toa breakthrough, potentially towards a “Charter of Democracy”.
He added that bringing the PTI on board with a consensus-based narrative against terrorism was an important development for the government.
Chaudhry stated that the first draft of the agreement was finalized around 9:00 p.m.
The interior minister then took the draft and left to meet the prime minister and the president.
The minister said that at the final stage of the talks, the opposition team moved into another room to contact the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
After consulting with the chief minister, they emerged from the room reluctant to engage further with the government representatives.
He said that the National Action Plan (NAP) was not the strategy of a single province or an ethnic group, but rather a national strategy for all of Pakistan.
He said that NAP-II had been formulated during the tenure of the PTI-led government, adding that building a national consensus against terrorism was absolutely essential for the country’s security and stability.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026