Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said talks with the government could not resume without the participation of its imprisoned founder, Imran Khan. The party also cited disagreements over a counterterrorism strategy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a reason negotiations broke down.
PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja said the party had asked for Khan to be included in future political dialogue and for party leaders to consult him. Raja said the party also sought a collective counterterrorism strategy and consideration of recommendations from a jirga convened by the provincial assembly. PTI says the government refused to put such an agreement in writing.
Government and opposition representatives held two rounds of talks on Friday and Saturday without reaching a deal. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for changing the draft agreement. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, in turn, accused PTI representatives of maintaining double standards. These are competing accounts, with each side blaming the other for the impasse.
After the talks failed, PTI went ahead with a planned protest march on Sunday. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Swati said he would convene another meeting of the special security committee, formed after a jirga in November last year and urged federal and provincial institutions to develop joint recommendations on counterterrorism and public safety.