ISLAMABAD: Talks between the federal government and the opposition over the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s planned long march ended in deadlock early Sunday after the two sides failed to agree on a draft, with the government blaming repeated changes sought by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership.
The second round of negotiations, held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, continued until after 2am. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said the draft agreement had been revised four times and that both sides remained in contact with their respective leaderships throughout the process.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the law-and-order and terrorism situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the main issue in the talks. He said the government had sought assurances that the provincial administration would play an effective role in countering terrorism, but the opposition had not agreed to the proposal.
Mr Sanaullah said the government had shown flexibility over meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan, but consensus could not be reached on other key issues. He also made it clear that the PTI’s proposed long march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad.
He said the points of disagreement were already known and the government could keep the door open for further talks if the opposition agreed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said his party had wanted the negotiations to succeed, but no date had been fixed for another round. He said the long march would proceed according to its announced schedule.
Mr Gohar cautioned against using the protest to create hatred, division or tension among the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the province’s mandate, autonomy and constitutional powers should not be affected, warning that any such move would go against the spirit of the 18th Amendment.
He also said the response to the long march should not involve the imposition of emergency or governor’s rule in the province.
Federal Minister Talal Chaudhry said the two sides had reached agreement on several issues, but the draft was repeatedly changed following instructions from the KP leadership. He alleged that the provincial government was unwilling to implement the National Action Plan, which had stalled progress in the negotiations.
Syed Naveed Qamar, another member of the government negotiating team, said the draft had come close to finalisation four times. According to him, each version was sent to the KP chief minister but was returned with further amendments.
Mr Qamar alleged that the negotiation process had been deliberately derailed. He said the draft contained a clause for ending the long march, but the opposition later raised objections to provisions relating to terrorism.
Federal Minister Amir Muqam also said the PTI leadership had refused to reconsider its decision to hold the long march despite progress in the talks. He claimed that the negotiating team had agreed to certain drafts only for them to be rejected later by the KP leadership.
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The talks were held in an effort to avert the PTI’s October 4 long march towards Islamabad.
The government negotiating team included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Rana Sanaullah, Amir Muqam, Talal Chaudhry and PPP representatives Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Ejaz Jakhrani. The opposition delegation comprised Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Aamir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh.
No date has been fixed for the next round of negotiations.
