Naqvi meets Kundi as PTI kicks off Islamabad march after talks collapse

PESHAWAR: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived at Governor House Peshawar on Sunday to hold a meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi amid an escalating standoff between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The meeting comes hours after government-opposition talks aimed at averting the PTI’s planned October 4 long march on Islamabad ended in deadlock.

Earlier, Naqvi blamed KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for the collapse of the talks, claiming that the government and opposition had reached a “win-win” agreement before the chief minister sought changes to the finalised draft.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore following the deadlock in negotiations, Naqvi said the draft agreement had been finalised after several rounds of discussions and that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari had also gone through it.

He said he had briefed both the prime minister and the president on the negotiations and the final draft.

According to Naqvi, when he returned to Parliament House after consultations with the premier and president, he was told that Afridi had raised objections and sought changes to the draft despite the negotiating teams having already finalised it.

“The draft was changed four times and then it was finalised,” he said, adding that the government side had told the opposition that if the KP chief minister had reservations, he should either be brought into the meeting or send a representative.

Earlier in the day, Afridi reached Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat by helicopter to lead the first phase of the PTI long march, hours after the government-opposition talks ended without an agreement.

Afridi arrived at a special helipad prepared near Maidadkhel and later reached the container set up for the march, where party leaders and workers had gathered.

The march is being held to demand the release of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, who is incarcerated in Adiala jail.

Earlier, Kundi criticised Afridi for travelling to Lakki Marwat in an official helicopter to lead the march.

In a post on X, Kundi said Afridi’s use of a government helicopter for political activity despite what he described as clear Islamabad High Court orders amounted to contempt of court and a violation of judicial directions.

“When the chief minister himself will not comply with court orders and will use state resources for political activities, what expectation can there be from his workers to obey the law?” Kundi said.