PTI says talks failed over two key demands, KP terrorism strategy

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Raja Nasir calls on president, PM, political parties to join hands to secure release of Imran Khan

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said negotiations between the government and opposition failed because the two sides could not resolve two specific issues, including a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan and differences over how to tackle terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a press conference alongside other PTI leaders, Raja said the party had made it clear from the outset that the dialogue process could not succeed unless the key matters were addressed.

Raja said the PTI viewed the two-session negotiation process as merely a preliminary step. He said extensive discussions were held, but both rounds ultimately ended without producing an agreement.

According to Raja, PTI had presented two major demands during the negotiations, but the government was unwilling to accept them. One of the central demands was that party leaders be allowed to meet Imran Khan. He said the PTI would not make any decision without the founder, stressing that party leaders who have stood by him for 30 years have the right to meet him.

He said no consensus was reached on including the founder’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, in the relevant panel, describing the matter as crucial to the negotiations.

“The entire party is concerned about the founder’s health,” Raja said, adding that meetings involving the founder’s family members and personal physician were vital, particularly in discussions concerning terrorism and the situation in KP.

Raja said the second major area of disagreement concerned the strategy for combating terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said it had been proposed that an emergency be declared in certain areas of KP within 72 hours, but the issue could not be resolved during the negotiations.

The PTI leader highlighted a peace Jirga previously held in the KP Assembly, saying representatives of all political parties and tribal elders had participated in the process. He said the Jirga had already outlined solutions to local issues and that its recommendations should have been given due importance during the government-opposition talks.

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According to Raja, parliamentary political parties in KP had reached a consensus on measures to combat terrorism. He said Dr Amjad of PTI, Hassan Shah of the Awami National Party and the PML-N parliamentary leader had signed the agreement, while the Pakistan Peoples Party had also signed the provincial assembly documents.

Raja said decisions concerning tribal areas and the fight against terrorism should not be imposed from outside the province.

“Decisions cannot be made from afar,” he said, questioning how conditions in the affected areas could improve otherwise.

He said it had been agreed during the talks that decisions regarding tribal areas would be made through consensus. However, he maintained that not everyone’s views were accommodated during the negotiations.

Raja said the PTI supports KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s position and remains on the same page with him. He stressed that any decision regarding the province must be made through collective consultation.

He added that decisions to tackle terrorism in KP had already been formulated by the peace Jirga, with parliamentary political parties in the province agreeing on a course of action.

Also Read: PTI long march moves from Karak to Kohat on Day 2

Raja also criticised government ministers for what he described as trivial statements about the negotiations. He reiterated that PTI wants law and order to be maintained across Pakistan, but said the dialogue could not produce results when crucial matters remained unresolved.

Raja said the two rounds of negotiations had served their preliminary purpose, but once it became clear that the two specific issues could not be settled, it was decided that further dialogue would serve no purpose.

Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas separately called on the president, prime minister and political parties to join hands to secure the release of Imran Khan.

Nasir Abbas said that, in the interest of Pakistan, everyone should engage in dialogue with the former prime minister. He urged the government to invite him, sit together and resolve the outstanding issues.

He said the government could send Khan back to jail after the dialogue if it wished, arguing that holding talks should come before taking further political steps.

Addressing the issue of the PTI’s long march, Nasir Abbas said he had previously suggested that the government and opposition agree on a peaceful route. He said protesters could march along one side of the road while traffic continued to flow, arguing that such an arrangement would prevent disruption and avoid confrontation.

“Why are you so fearful and apprehensive?” Nasir Abbas asked, urging the government and opposition to sit together and settle their differences.

He also criticised the government’s rhetoric against its political opponents, saying opponents should not be labelled terrorists without a second thought.

An opponent of the government, he said, should not be treated as an enemy of the state, and he called for restraint in political statements.

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