LAHORE: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday, Oct. 4, that government and opposition negotiators had reached agreement on nearly all major issues before Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi allegedly derailed the talks over a planned PTI protest long march toward Islamabad.
Naqvi said the two sides had reached agreement on about 99% of the issues during negotiations aimed at ending the political dispute. He said a draft agreement had also been prepared after the talks made significant progress.
Speaking at a news conference in Lahore, Naqvi said the opposition delegation had taken part in the negotiations seriously and had made efforts to find a solution.
“I took a copy of the agreement to the president and also fully briefed the prime minister about the negotiations,” Naqvi said.
He said only one or two issues remained unresolved when the talks reached their final stage. However, he claimed that several changes were later proposed to the draft agreement. “Four drafts were prepared and the draft was changed four times,” Naqvi said.
The minister blamed Afridi for the breakdown, saying the situation changed after the KP chief minister became involved in the process. “We told them that if Sohail Afridi had to make the decisions, he should have come to the negotiations himself,” Naqvi said.
Naqvi alleged that Afridi later refused to accept the final draft and accused him of trying to sabotage the negotiations. He said the government would not hold further talks with the opposition. “There will be no more negotiations with the opposition now,” Naqvi said.
Naqvi also warned that the government would not allow a repeat of the violence and unrest linked to the May 9, 2023, protests.
“One thing is absolutely clear that we will not allow another incident like May 9 to happen,” he said.
Naqvi said the government would take steps to ensure that an Islamabad High Court order was implemented and warned that Afridi would be held responsible if violence and damage occurred.
Mohsin Naqvi said PTI could hold a peaceful protest but would not be allowed to launch what he called an assault on Islamabad.
“I told the opposition delegation in yesterday’s meeting that they can certainly hold a protest, but under no circumstances will we allow an assault on Islamabad,” he said.
He warned that protesters who break the law would face legal action, including PTI workers and leaders arrested during the demonstration.
“If PTI members break the law, we will not let them go. We will pursue them,” Naqvi said.
Government officials said the negotiations also covered counterterrorism efforts and cooperation between the federal government and the KP government.
