Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has held the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government responsible for the impasse in the negotiations between the government and the opposition, saying that the talks were almost reaching an agreement; however, the provincial government’s stance in the final stage did not move the matter forward.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi said that the opposition delegation played a serious and positive role in the talks. According to him, acceptable points had been agreed upon by both sides, and a draft had also been prepared.
According to the Interior Minister, he showed a copy of the agreement to the President and also requested that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government be included in the negotiation process. He said that many points were agreed upon during the talks, but later the situation changed.
Mohsin Naqvi claimed that the agreement was amended four times. According to him, about 99 percent of the issues had been settled, but after showing the draft to the president, more changes were made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. He said that if the final decisions in the talks were to be made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, he should have come to the negotiating table himself.
Regarding the long march, the Interior Minister clarified that the government had not demanded the postponement of the march. According to him, such a request had definitely been made by the PPP. He warned that the movement towards Islamabad will not be allowed and action will be taken against those who come to sit in as per the law.
On the other hand, in Peshawar, Mohsin Naqvi also met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. The political and security situation of the province was discussed in the meeting. According to the issued statement, the two leaders agreed to play a constitutional role in dealing with terrorism.
The statement said that if the President and the Prime Minister consider Governor’s Rule or emergency necessary, the Governor House will fulfill its constitutional responsibility. In addition, the use of government helicopters or other government resources for the long march was declared contrary to court decisions.
Mohsin Naqvi said that he is constantly informing the president and the prime minister about the negotiations and the current situation. According to him, the future decision will be taken in consultation with the top leadership. Meanwhile, along with political differences between the government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the security situation of the province has also become an important issue.
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