ISLAMABAD: Senior politician Zahid Khan has alleged that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has no independent authority and that its “strings are being pulled from Kabul,” while claiming that Kabul’s strings are controlled from New Delhi.
In a statement, Khan said the KP government’s links with Kabul raised questions about how negotiations with the provincial administration could succeed.
He said the federal government and its allies had engaged in negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for 12 hours in an effort to reach an understanding.
According to Khan, the current PTI negotiating team also wanted the talks to succeed and had agreed to the proposals during the negotiations. Despite this, he said, the talks ultimately failed.
Khan described the situation as a tragedy for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying it was unfortunate that the province was being governed by people whom he criticised as lacking independent authority.
He questioned how meaningful negotiations could take place when, according to his claim, the provincial government’s decisions were influenced from outside the province.
KP CM Derailed Talks, Long Marchers Won’t Be Spared: Naqvi
Earlier, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced the end of negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying talks could not continue once the party’s long march towards Islamabad began.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been briefed on the situation. He accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of attempting to derail the negotiations.
Naqvi said a draft agreement had been finalised after discussions with PTI representatives, but claimed that Afridi later rejected the draft and introduced changes to the final agreement.
He praised PTI representatives Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Amir Dogar and Nasir Abbas for what he described as their sincere participation in the talks. However, he questioned why Afridi had not joined the negotiations if he was to make the final decisions.
The minister said the talks involved two separate agreements — one concerning opposition parties and another focused on counterterrorism measures.
Naqvi alleged that “somewhere” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terrorists were receiving support, and stressed that the issue under discussion was terrorism rather than politics. He said the federal government wanted the KP government to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
He claimed that Asad Qaiser had expressed support for all points concerning Pakistan and that the federal side had sought to bring the KP government on board.
Naqvi said the government had not asked PTI to postpone its long march and reiterated that negotiations would not continue once the march began.
He warned that the government would not allow a repeat of the events of May 9, saying those responsible for the march would face action. He also held Afridi responsible for the collapse of the negotiations and said he would be responsible if any loss of life occurred.
The interior minister further criticised the KP chief minister for making statements against the military while, he said, the province was facing a war-like security situation.
Naqvi warned that anyone entering Islamabad in violation of court orders would face legal consequences, saying the government would bring an end to repeated attempts to march on the capital.
He said those participating in the long march would not be spared and indicated that federal authorities would also take action in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Naqvi said the government would now implement whatever decision was taken by the president and prime minister.
