By Iftikhar Mashwani
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said the party cannot proceed with meaningful negotiations with the government without consultation with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan.
Speaking at a press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House alongside PTI lawyers, Raja said two rounds of talks with the government over the weekend failed to produce an agreement despite what he described as serious and sincere efforts by both sides.
He said PTI’s primary demand was immediate access to Imran Khan, stressing that the party could not take major decisions without consulting its founder.
Raja said PTI was even prepared to set aside some of its other demands to secure a meeting with Imran Khan. According to him, the government had indicated that lawyers and Imran Khan’s sisters could meet him if an agreement was reached, with regular meetings to be restored later.
However, he said the talks eventually collapsed over two key issues: access to Imran Khan, particularly his personal doctors, and disagreement over the strategy to tackle terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Raja said PTI wanted the recommendations of a political jirga convened by the KP Assembly to be incorporated into any agreement on counterterrorism. He argued that political parties, tribal representatives and other stakeholders had participated in the jirga and their proposals should be considered.
The PTI leader said the government was unwilling to put a jointly agreed counterterrorism strategy in writing, while the party did not want to be held responsible for supporting every government action in the province.
He claimed that negotiations continued for several hours and that progress had been made on a number of issues. Discussions reportedly continued until around 2am, but the sides failed to resolve the dispute over access to Imran Khan’s personal doctors.
Raja said talks on a proposed 72-hour implementation period and the release of prisoners, including elderly and female detainees, had also shown progress, creating hopes that a broader agreement was within reach.
Despite the breakdown, he said PTI remained committed to political engagement and opposed turning political differences into confrontation. He also reiterated the party’s support for KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is leading the protest march.
The government, however, has blamed PTI for the failure of the negotiations. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused Sohail Afridi of changing the proposed agreement, while Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticised PTI representatives over what he described as “double standards and hypocrisy.”
Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam said the government delegation had proposed that both sides adopt a common position on terrorism.
The talks collapsed as PTI proceeded with its protest march despite warnings from the federal government.
Islamabad had warned of possible action against the KP government, including governor’s rule or an emergency, if the march went ahead.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar, speaking outside the Islamabad High Court, alleged that several Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court judgments had not been implemented.
He also urged the court’s fixation branch to schedule pending cases, saying access to the high court had become increasingly difficult amid the ongoing political tensions.
