State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry has claimed that government-opposition talks had reached a major breakthrough, but last-minute conditions from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister led to the failure of the negotiations.
Addressing a press conference, Chaudhry said the first day of talks focused on terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to him, the participants initially agreed on the issue, after which opposition negotiators travelled to Peshawar to consult the KP government.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the government to provide the opposition with as much political space as possible, but demanded 100 percent cooperation on the issue of terrorism.
Chaudhry said that on the second day, the first draft of the agreement achieved consensus on all political issues. He said the draft also included issues concerning the health of PTI founder Imran Khan and other matters.
“I would call it Charter of Democracy 2. It was a very big breakthrough,” Chaudhry said.
According to the minister, the first draft was prepared around 9pm and was taken by the interior minister to the president. He said government representatives remained in contact with the KP chief minister during the final stages of the negotiations.
Chaudhry said dialogue could still move forward, but only conditionally. He said the government would not resume talks until certain issues were resolved and the conditions outlined by the interior minister were fully implemented.
He also criticised the PTI’s political activities and said examinations had been postponed in Peshawar because of the long march.
On counterterrorism measures, Chaudhry defended the National Action Plan and questioned whether the plan formulated during Imran Khan’s tenure had been against the Pashtun population.
He also questioned alleged differences in the treatment of PTI gatherings and other political or social activities in areas affected by militancy.
The minister further said the government would not show leniency toward those facilitating terrorists and warned that the state would take action against groups involved in violence.
He said the government would not tolerate what he described as “nonsense” from any group, including the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
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