No breakthrough after marathon PTI-govt talks

Both sides press competing demands Achakzai, Afridi adamant on meeting Imran first Govt offers concessions to sec

ISLAMABAD:

Marathon talks between the government and opposition on Saturday failed to find a middle ground in an effort to break the deadlock over the PTI's long march, as both sides pressed competing demands and remained at an impasse.

The talks, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, followed an initial round on Friday in which the two sides exchanged their positions but failed to reach an agreement.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser confirmed that the talks ended without reaching an agreement.

The two sides remained divided over who should take the first step to ease tensions surrounding the opposition party's planned march.

The government wanted the PTI to take the initiative by cancelling the march, while the opposition wanted the government to first facilitate a meeting with its jailed founder, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Members of the two negotiating teams were also seen stepping outside the National Assembly speaker's chamber to consult with one another during the discussions.

The sources said the two sides had reached agreement on all points by 9pm, but the talks ran into a fresh hurdle after Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai raised a different position.

Achakzai said the authority to call off the march rested with PTI founder Imran Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, according to the sources.

The sources said Achakzai's position led to a deadlock, while tensions increased after Afridi posted about the march on social media platform X.

The sources said President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted the issues to be resolved through negotiations

This development followed the second round of talks between the government, the PPP and the opposition, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. The talks were convened as the October 4 deadline for the PTI-backed long march approached.

According to sources, the government agreed to several demands during the negotiations, including facilitating a meeting between opposition leaders and Imran Khan.

Sources also said an understanding was reached regarding the release of some leaders and workers detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), including Imran's three sisters.

The government also reportedly agreed to consider implementing the Supreme Court's August order concerning Imran's treatment at a private hospital and offered to establish a committee to examine complaints regarding the shrinking political space for the opposition.

The government's reported concessions were linked to the opposition's willingness to call off the October 4 march, which remained the principal point of contention in the negotiations. Earlier, the government had sought cancellation of the protest, while the PTI side had linked any decision to the outcome of talks and access to Imran Khan.

The talks, however, encountered a fresh hurdle when Achakzai contacted PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and former NA speaker Asad Qaiser and made it clear that no final announcement should be made before meeting Imran Khan.

According to sources, Achakzai maintained that any decision by the PTI or the opposition alliance to call off the street movement would require Imran's approval.

TTAP spokesperson Akhundzada Hussain Ahmed Yousufzai said Achakzai had instructed the opposition delegation to seek a meeting with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi as its first priority, followed by meetings with Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas.

The preference for meeting Afridi first was linked to the fact that the K-P chief minister had announced the long march, which was earlier scheduled for September 27 but later postponed until today (October 4).

According to the spokesperson, Afridi could brief the former prime minister o0n the progress made during the two days of negotiations and obtain his response.

Achakzai's position effectively meant that the reported understanding between the government and opposition could not immediately be converted into a final announcement about the march.

Reports said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who played a key role in the negotiations, left Parliament House with the draft understanding and went to the Prime Minister's House to consult the senior leadership before returning to Parliament House, after which talks resumed.

The second round followed an inconclusive first round held on Friday.

The initial meeting ended with both sides exchanging their respective positions but without a breakthrough. They agreed to resume negotiations on Saturday. The National Assembly described Friday's meeting as being held in a "cordial" and constructive atmosphere.

The opposition's demand for access to Imran Khan had emerged as a central issue from the outset. During the first round, opposition representatives maintained that major political decisions could not be taken without consulting the PTI founder.

The government delegation included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Amir Muqam, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Prime Minister's Adviser Rana Sanaullah, along with PPP representatives Senator Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani.

The opposition delegation included Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Barrister Gohar Khan, Raja Nasir Abbas, Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Amir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh. Achakzai had earlier declined to attend the talks at the Speaker's chamber, seeking a neutral venue.

The negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the federal and K-P governments and the PTI's plan to bring supporters towards Islamabad.

A number of federal ministers have threatened to consider imposing Governor's Rule in K-P, where the PTI is in power, if the opposition continued with its plans to march on the capital.

On Friday, the military's top brass also underscored the importance of internal stability and resolved that any attempt to cause agitation or create a May 9-like situation, "on any pretext whatsoever, will be dealt with decisive force and rule of law, without hesitation and discrimination.

On May 9, 2023, the PTI supporters and workers staged violent protests after arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court and attacked dozens of military installations, followed by a grand crackdown against the former ruling party.