Achakzai Signals Conditional Acceptance of PM Shehbaz’s Talks Offer

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai has signalled a willingness to respond positively to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s latest dialogue offer, while setting access to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan as a key condition for renewed negotiations.

Achakzai, who heads the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan opposition alliance, conveyed a message to opposition leaders through alliance spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai following the prime minister’s fresh offer of talks.

According to people familiar with the message, Achakzai directed opposition leaders to give a positive response if the government formally approaches them for dialogue.

However, he maintained that the first condition should be a meeting with Imran Khan.

Achakzai also suggested that the release of Imran Khan’s detained sisters could serve as an initial confidence-building measure by the government.

He argued that a meeting with the prime minister would have little meaning if opposition representatives were not first permitted to consult Imran Khan.

If such access is not provided, the opposition could consider declining a meeting with the prime minister, according to the position attributed to Achakzai.

The development came hours after Shehbaz renewed his invitation to the opposition, urging PTI to end its ongoing long march and return to negotiations.

The prime minister said the government was prepared to sit with the opposition and discuss contentious political issues if PTI called off its march and sit-ins.

His offer followed the collapse of government-opposition negotiations over the weekend.

Both sides have since presented competing accounts of why those discussions failed.

PTI maintains that access to Imran Khan and disagreements over counterterrorism policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were central obstacles.

The government has blamed opposition demands for the breakdown and says further negotiations should be preceded by an end to PTI’s protest campaign.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has separately maintained that dialogue remains possible if party representatives are allowed to meet Imran Khan.

The latest statement from Achakzai therefore suggests that the opposition has not completely closed the door on negotiations despite the ongoing protest campaign.

However, significant differences remain over the sequence of events.

The government wants the long march and sit-ins to end before talks resume, while opposition leaders are demanding access to Imran Khan before committing to another round of negotiations.

Whether the latest exchange develops into formal talks will depend on whether either side is prepared to modify those conditions.

For now, Achakzai’s response represents a cautious opening for renewed political engagement rather than an agreement to restart negotiations.