ISLAMABAD: Government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) negotiators ended Saturday’s second round of talks without agreement. Counterterrorism measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained a sticking point.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah accused the provincial government of failing to assure cooperation against terrorism. He described cooperation as its constitutional responsibility.
Sanaullah warned that the government would stop the long march from entering Islamabad and use legal powers against any unrest.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the march would proceed despite the unsuccessful talks. “We wanted the negotiations to succeed,” he told reporters.
Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas identified unresolved demands for a meeting with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. Those demands included access to Khan’s personal doctor.
Read: Khawaja Asif Accuses PTI of Planning Violence With TTP
Abbas also sought clarity over military operations in areas hosting internally displaced people.
Sources said that disagreements concerned administrative measures and federal support for districts affected by terrorism. They claimed further progress depended on resolving counterterrorism issues.
Negotiators met at Parliament House to discuss PTI’s planned Sunday march. Sanaullah confirmed that neither side had fixed a time for another round.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that the march’s first phase would begin at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat.
(With input from Geo News)
