Two days of negotiations between the government and the joint opposition have ended without an agreement as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) begins its planned long march towards Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
PTI has announced that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi will lead the march, which is starting from the Lakki Marwat district on Sunday.
The political talks broke down mainly over the role of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in the fight against terrorism. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the talks failed because the provincial government did not give the federal government an assurance that it would support security forces and play its role in counterterrorism operations.
Speaking on Sunday aftar a tweet from KP CM Afridi, Rana Sanaullah said the government had amended the proposed agreement two or three times, but the provincial government remained unwilling to cooperate with the federal government’s counterterrorism policy.
He said the KP government had a constitutional and legal duty to take action against terrorism. He described cooperation with security forces in the fight against terrorism as a non-negotiable demand.
“The refusal to cooperate against terrorism is not acceptable,” Sanaullah said, adding that the disagreement was the main reason an agreement could not be reached.
Sanaullah also warned that the PTI march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad. “The long march will not be allowed to enter the limits of Islamabad,” he said, adding that any attempt to create disorder would be dealt with according to the law.
His warning came shortly after Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced the start of the PTI march towards the federal capital in his tweet on Sunday.
Afridi said the first phase would begin from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1pm on Sunday. Participants from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat were expected to join the convoy.
Under the route announced by Afridi, the convoy will spend Sunday night near Karak. Participants from Karak will join the march on Monday before it moves towards Kohat, Peshawar and Charsadda over the following days.
Afridi said PTI supporters from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would gather at Khairabad on October 8. The party will announce its further course of action there.
The government-opposition negotiations had focused on several political issues, including the planned march and demands concerning PTI founder Imran Khan.
Sanaullah said the government had also discussed meetings with Imran Khan and his medical treatment but described these matters as minor compared with the disagreement over counterterrorism cooperation.
He said the government had assured the opposition that matters relating to meetings with Imran Khan and his treatment were being handled according to the law and prison rules.
“If you do not use the meetings for political purposes, we will not create any hurdle,” Sanaullah said.
The talks had initially appeared to make progress during the second round of negotiations between government and opposition representatives. The meeting was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in his chamber and covered several issues, including the planned march towards Islamabad.
However, sources said divisions also emerged within the opposition. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai told Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Asad Qaiser by telephone that the opposition should sign an agreement with the government only after meeting Imran Khan.
Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Asad Qaiser also wanted Achakzai to be taken into confidence before any agreement was finalised.
Achakzai said he could not take such an important decision alone. He said that if the government wanted the march suspended or called off, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other opposition leaders should first be allowed to meet Imran Khan.
The negotiations ultimately ended without a final agreement. No time frame has been announced for another round of talks, while the PTI march is now moving ahead towards Islamabad.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar said they will enter the negotiations with optimism; they have come with good intentions.
Raja Nasir Abbas, the opposition leader in the Senate, confirmed the deadlock in the negotiations, stating that while a consensus was reached on many issues, talks stalled over measures regarding terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Allama Nasir Abbas stated that no progress has been made regarding Imran Khan’s personal physician or arrangements for meetings.
Sherry Rehman, a PPP leader and member of the government-PPP negotiating committee, said the draft agreement was revised four times and emphasised that there can be no compromise on measures against terrorism.
Minister of State Talal Chaudhry stated that the government pursued the negotiation process to the very limit, while the PTI team was being dictated to from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PAK SOUCH MEDIA GROUP
Daily Pak Souch Newspaper Sukkur – Daily Pak Special Newspaper Karachi – Daily Pak Today Newspaper Karachi – Daily Pak Jazbo Newspaper Sukkur
Head Office : Ayub Gate Shaikh Muhalla Near Rabbania Masjid Sukkur
Karachi Office : Office No. 1901-B, 19th Floor Saima Trade Tower (B) Block I.I Chandigarh Road Near Jung Press, Shaheen Complex & National Museum of Pakistan Karachi Sindh Pakistan.
Contact : 03009319022
Website 1 : https://paksouch.com/
Website 2 : https://sindhi.paksouch.com/
Website 3 : https://pakjazbo.com/
Website 4 : https://urdu.pakjazbo.com/
About The Author
