Talal Chaudhry Says KP CM’s Conditions Derailed Govt-PTI Talks

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has claimed that negotiations between the government and opposition had reached a major breakthrough before last-minute conditions from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi prevented a final agreement.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Chaudhry said significant progress had been made during the talks, including agreement on political issues and discussions over counterterrorism measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said terrorism in KP was raised by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on the first day of negotiations and that the opposition’s negotiating team initially agreed to discuss measures aimed at addressing the province’s security situation.

Opposition representatives subsequently travelled to Peshawar for consultations with the provincial leadership.

Chaudhry said the government was later assured that the KP administration was prepared to cooperate on counterterrorism, after which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the government team to provide the opposition with as much political space as possible.

He said the government nevertheless sought complete cooperation on measures against terrorism.

Chaudhry claimed that by the second day, the first draft of a possible agreement had produced consensus on political matters and included issues concerning PTI founder Imran Khan’s health.

He described the progress as potentially significant enough to resemble a new “Charter of Democracy”.

However, he alleged that consultations with the KP chief minister during the final stages resulted in additional conditions that prevented the agreement from being completed.

The PTI has disputed the government’s version of why the negotiations failed.

PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja has said the talks broke down over two key issues on which the government was unwilling to accept the opposition’s demands.

The party has also said that immediate access to Imran Khan for consultation and a broader consultative approach to security policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were among the unresolved matters.

Chaudhry said negotiations could still move forward, but only if conditions concerning security and counterterrorism were met.

He also strongly criticised the opposition’s planned long march and warned that the state would respond to attempts to disrupt the federal capital.

The latest exchange highlights the widening disagreement between the two sides over who bears responsibility for the collapse of negotiations.

While government representatives maintain that substantial consensus had been reached before the KP leadership changed its position, PTI argues that the government refused to accommodate key demands necessary for a settlement.

No jointly agreed negotiating document has been publicly released, meaning the competing accounts of the final stage of the talks cannot currently be independently established.