Salman Akram Raja rejects claims Sohail Afridi derailed talks with govt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has rejected claims that non-functional Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was responsible for the breakdown of negotiations with the federal government, saying the talks collapsed over the denial of access to PTI founder Imran Khan’s personal physicians and concerns over provincial autonomy.

In an interview with a private television channel on Thursday, he said the refusal to allow Khan’s personal doctors to examine him was one of the two principal reasons behind the failure of the negotiations.

He said PTI could not grant the federal government unrestricted authority to intervene in the affairs of K-P. “These were the two principal reasons why the talks collapsed,” Raja said, alleging that the government had deliberately undermined the negotiations.

The PTI leader also described the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in the province as unconstitutional, alleging that the government had introduced the measures to take control of the provincial administration. “They just wanted to take over the province,” he said.

Read: Sharjeel says PPP was 'last party' to support emergency in K-P

Raja said an all-parties conference (APC) was being planned within the next 10 days, or earlier, to discuss the prevailing political situation. “This is a political issue and therefore all political parties must play their role,” he said.

He disclosed that several political parties were in contact with him over the situation, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Asked about the role of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Raja said the final decision rested with the PTI founder. He described Achakzai and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen chief Allama Nasir Abbas as a shield for the party, adding that PTI would continue to seek their political advice and support.

Raja also maintained that PTI’s long march had not ended, signalling that the party’s political campaign would continue.

Separately, PTI leader and Senator Syed Ali Zafar denied that negotiations with the government were imminent, saying decisions concerning the party would be made by its parliamentary party.

“We are yet to determine the terms of reference,” Zafar said while speaking to a journalist from the same television channel. He further alleged that the government had decided to impose governor’s rule around one-and-a-half months earlier.

Yousafzai distances party from YouTubers campaigning against state institutions

PTI's K-P information secretary Shaukat Ali Yousafzai on Thursday distanced the party from YouTubers campaigning against state institutions, saying they had no links with PTI and that such campaigns had negatively affected the party.

Speaking in an interview with a private television channel, Yousafzai said PTI founder Imran Khan had always referred to the armed forces as his own institution, adding that no other viewpoint would be entertained on the matter.

He said PTI had always condemned terrorism and described it as unjustified to label the party’s leaders or workers as facilitators of terrorists. He also alleged that the government had used concerns over peace and security as a pretext to impose emergency and governor’s rule in K-P, calling the move unjustified.

He expressed confidence in Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja, adding that he would not be “intimidated by a YouTuber” based overseas.

Deadlock on emergency and governor’s rule in K-P

The debate over emergency and governor’s rule in K-P intensified in late September amid worsening security concerns and growing political tensions between the federal government and the PTI-led provincial administration.

Federal ministers accused the provincial government of failing to address terrorism and governance challenges, while PTI considered the possibility of an in-house change or dissolution of the provincial assembly.

The federal government subsequently stepped up its warnings, with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and other officials arguing that constitutional provisions allowed the Centre to intervene if circumstances warranted extraordinary measures. The government cited the deteriorating law and order situation and the provincial administration’s handling of security challenges as precursors for governor’s rule and emergency.

Later, on October 11, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in the province on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following approval by the federal cabinet. The government cited escalating terrorist attacks, threats to lives and property, and what it described as a breakdown of the constitutional system in the province.

The measures invoked Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, while the federal government also authorised the deployment of the army to assist the civil administration.

Read More: PHC takes up challenge to emergency today

The move transferred executive authority from the elected provincial government to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and affected 12 districts under the emergency proclamation. PTI rejected the decision, arguing that it undermined provincial autonomy and the party’s electoral mandate.

The intervention also marked the fourth spell of governor’s rule in the province, following earlier instances in 1975, 1994 and 1999.

The issue subsequently moved to Parliament and the courts.

On October 12, a petition challenging the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in K-P was filed in the Peshawar High Court by PTI, a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal government’s decision on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The opposition argued that the constitutional requirements had not been fulfilled and that the intervention violated provincial autonomy.

Three days later, on October 15, a joint sitting of Parliament approved separate resolutions endorsing the emergency and governor’s rule for two months, despite severe protests from the opposition parties.

So far, the government and the opposition remain at loggerheads regarding the governance of the province.