Lahore, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of attempting to sabotage negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the federal government.
The Imran Khan-founded party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government held two rounds of negotiations on Friday and Saturday to prevent the party’s long march towards Islamabad.
However, the talks ended without an agreement after the two sides disagreed on key issues, including access to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and military operations in KP’s restive areas.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the security czar said that 99% of the points in the agreement had been agreed upon during the negotiations.
“The agreement had been prepared,” Naqvi said, adding that he took a copy of the agreement to President Zardari.
The interior minister said that after showing the agreement to the president and returning, he learnt that several changes had been made to the draft by the KP chief minister.
“Unfortunately, the KP chief minister tried to sabotage the negotiations,” Naqvi added.
Naqvi said that four drafts were prepared and amended during yesterday’s negotiations, with participants examining the details of the proposed agreement.
Naqvi said that strict legal action would be taken against those violating the law during the ongoing protest movement, warning that authorities would not allow any march on Islamabad.
The interior minister said that all those gathering for the sit-in would face a complete legal process and trial if they violated the law. He reiterated that the government had made it clear that no one would be permitted to storm the federal capital.
“The long march has already begun, and we will not spare anyone who violates the law,” he said, adding that he stood by his previous statements on the matter.
Naqvi said he was keeping both the President and the Prime Minister fully informed about the evolving situation. He said that both leaders had instructed authorities to make dialogue efforts successful while ensuring that they remained updated on every development.
“The president and the prime minister are the ultimate decision-makers, and they will decide the future course of action,” he said.
He said that the government had made it clear to the opposition delegation that the issue was not political but concerned terrorism.
The interior minister said he had requested that the KP government be made a mandatory participant in the negotiations, adding that if CM Afridi had to make the decisions, he should have attended the talks himself.
Naqvi said the government had not asked for the postponement of the long march, although the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had made such a request.
He said all participants in the negotiations had shown interest in the details of the discussions. “The responsibility for the failure of the negotiations lies solely with the KP chief minister.”
He warned that the KP chief minister would be responsible if any person lost their life in the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad.
The security czar also said those gathering for the protest would face a complete trial, while making clear that the government would not allow any protest in Islamabad.
Naqvi’s remarks come hours after he said that the PTI-led government in KP backed out of its security commitment during the last phase of negotiations with the federal government.
In a post on X, the security czar said that the provincial government had agreed to sign a written agreement and submit an implementation plan within 72 hours, covering security and counterterrorism operations.
According to Naqvi, the KP government had agreed to the reconsideration of the Police Act 2026 in light of the security situation and the need to protect security matters from political interference.
The PTI-backed government also agreed to take measures to prevent terrorists from operating freely or finding safe havens across KP, he said.
The interior minister — who was part of the talks — said that the KP government had agreed to unequivocally condemn outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and all other terrorist groups.
According to Naqvi, the provincial government had also agreed to support national policy on Afghan refugees, including repatriation and dismantling Afghan camps in KP.
He maintained that the KP government had also agreed to have no contact with the Afghan Taliban regime, substantial funding for counterterrorism operations and police, full provincial ownership of counterterrorism measures, and stronger cooperation with the armed forces.
Naqvi said that the provincial government had also pledged to take decisions regarding counterterrorism in the erstwhile Fata and merged districts, and implement the National Action Plan.
“Last night, during the final phase of negotiations, the KP Government backed out of these commitments,” he wrote in the post.
The interior minister emphasised that security must not be politicised while the “province is at war”.
Talks between the government and opposition broke down on Saturday, with the two sides failing to reach consensus on key issues and no agreement.
Following the talks, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja said the sides could not agree on the basic issues under discussion, while Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said differences remained over a meeting with jailed PTI founder and access to his personal doctor.
“Our position was that we could move forward towards a point on which both sides could agree,” Salman said.
Abbas said the opposition had also sought clarity over military operations in areas hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs). He said the government had indicated that it was not currently in a position to arrange a meeting with Khan, although meetings between his sisters and lawyers would be allowed to begin.
The impasse followed several changes to a draft agreement.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman said the draft had been revised four times and the government had heard the PTI’s concerns, but stressed that there could be no compromise on terrorism.
“They have refused agreement on the long march and other things,” Sherry said. The government’s position centred on counterterrorism and the role of the KP government.
The developments came hours after a member of the negotiating committee had said the government and opposition had agreed on around 95% of the issues and expected to settle the remaining one or two points during the night.
The two sides had been working on a written draft agreement, but subsequent statements from both camps made clear that fundamental differences remained.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi later announced the start of the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad.
In a post on X, Afridi said the first phase of the march would begin from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1pm on Sunday, with participants from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat joining the convoy.
Separately, KP CM Afridi published the list of demands sent to the negotiating team, saying the draft contained no unconstitutional or illegal demands.
In his draft, he proposed a formal meeting between the prime minister and the leaders of the opposition in both houses to discuss important political, national, constitutional, legal and democratic matters.
The KP chief minister proposed that the prime minister establish a joint negotiation committee comprising representatives of the government alliance, PPP and opposition parties.
On prisoners’ rights, CM Afridi called for the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi to be provided rights under the jail manual and applicable laws.
He also demanded that legal, humanitarian and medical rights be provided to both without discrimination.
He said meetings with prisoners should be arranged according to law and jail rules and should not be used for political or other purposes.
The KP CM also called for an end to unnecessary delays in cases involving women, elderly and sick prisoners, seeking the release of political prisoners, including Yasmin Rashid and Bushra Bibi, on humanitarian grounds.
CM Afridi said that all political and national matters should be resolved through mutual consultation and negotiations, while a political negotiation committee should present actionable recommendations within one month.
He also called for full guarantees for democracy, politics, the judiciary, and press freedom.
CM Afridi said PTI would cancel the ongoing long march if the federal government provided a written assurance on the demands.
Responding to the draft, the interior minister said that the draft was circulated around midnight “in what appeared to be an attempt to derail the drafts already agreed by both sides”.
“However, the negotiating teams finalised a separate draft with us, which both sides agreed to, in addition to the KP Terrorism Related Implementation Plan,” Naqvi wrote in a post on X.
