Naqvi says Sohail Afridi sabotaged ‘win-win’ deal with PTI, vows to counter long march

LAHORE: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday blamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for the collapse of government-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) talks, claiming that both sides had reached a “win-win” agreement before the chief minister sought changes to the finalised draft, virtually leading to the deadlock and failure of the negotiations.

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 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari had also went through it.

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

According to Naqvi, when he returned to the Parliament House from consultations with the PM and the president, he was told that Sohail 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 he send a representative.

Naqvi claimed that PTI and opposition leaders, including Senator Raja Nasir Abbas, were subsequently put under pressure by Afridi over the proposed agreement.

He said Asad Qaiser had initially indicated that the KP government was supporting the federal government’s position on fighting terrorism.

The government then sent the PTI negotiating team to Peshawar to meet Afridi and resolve the differences, but the delegation returned without success, according to Naqvi.

The interior minister said the federal government’s primary concern was counterterrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in the merged districts.

Naqvi said that Afridi became active after the draft agreement had been finalised, adding that the chief minister was not willing to discuss terrorism.

Naqvi had earlier said the KP government initially agreed to sign a written agreement and submit an implementation plan within 72 hours covering a range of security-related measures.

These included preventing terrorists from operating freely or finding safe havens in the province, condemning the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups, supporting the federal government’s Afghan refugee policy, increasing funding for counterterrorism operations and police, and strengthening cooperation between the provincial government and armed forces.

The KP Government had agreed to sign a written agreement and submit an implementation plan within 72 hours, covering

• Reconsideration of the Police Act 2026 in light of the security situation and the need to protect security matters from political interference
• Preventing…

— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) October 4, 2026

The proposed commitments also covered implementation of the National Action Plan, counterterrorism decisions in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas and merged districts, and greater provincial ownership of counterterrorism measures.

Naqvi said the KP government subsequently backed away from those commitments during the final phase of negotiations.

His account differs from that of PTI negotiator Salman Akram Raja, who said the government wanted the KP government to support federal actions and operations against terrorism, including an emergency in the merged districts and adjoining areas within 72 hours.

حکومت اور پی ٹی آئی/تحریک تحفظ آئین پاکستان مزاکرات کی ناکامی کی بنیادی وجہ حکومتی اصرار تھا کہ خیبر پختونخواہ حکومت وفاق اور اسکے اداروں کے ان تمام اقدام اور آپریشنز کی تائید کرے جو صوبے میں دہشت گردی کے حوالے سے کئے جائیں گے۔ ضم اضلاع اور ان سے متصل علاقوں میں 72 گھنٹوں میں…

— salman akram raja (@salmanAraja) October 4, 2026

Raja said the PTI wanted counterterrorism policy to be formulated through agreement between the federal and provincial governments and consultation with political parties represented in the KP Assembly.

Naqvi said the government had not initially made cancellation of the long march a condition for the negotiations.

“We did not discuss the long march,” he said, adding that the PPP later brought the issue of postponing the march into the negotiations.

He said that the government had made it clear that once the long march started, the negotiations would be considered over.

Naqvi also accused the KP chief minister of failing to take responsibility for the security situation in his province.

“It cannot happen that there is a war going on in the province and the chief minister and provincial ministers issue statements against the army and do not attend the funerals of martyrs,” he said.

“The most important thing at this time is to stop the terrorism spreading in KP,” he added.

Naqvi also called on Afridi to step aside if he could not fulfil his responsibilities as chief minister.

“If I do not take responsibility for my province, how can I be its chief minister?” he said.

He described the provincial government’s conduct as more than political pressure, saying, “Blackmail is a small word; they are doing an injustice to their own province.”

‘IHC order will be implemented’

Turning to the planned PTI march, Naqvi said the government would implement the Islamabad High Court’s order and would not allow anyone to violate them.

He said protesters had been given permission to hold peaceful demonstrations, but no one would be allowed to “storm” Islamabad.

“We have made it clear that no one will be allowed to attack Islamabad,” he said.

Naqvi warned that political leaders accompanying the march could face contempt of court proceedings if they violated the IHC order.

“We will take legal action against them to the fullest extent,” he said.

He added that anyone gathering for the sit-in would be tried according to the law.

“If the long march has started, we will not let anyone violating the law proceed under any circumstances,” he said.

Naqvi said the government would also not allow a repeat of the events of May 9.

“We will not allow May 9 to happen again under any circumstances,” he said.

He warned that if even one person lost their life during the confrontation, Afridi would be responsible.

Arrests and legal action

Naqvi also said the government would follow the law in dealing with those arrested in connection with the protest.

He said the Islamabad High Court’s verdict would be implemented and that any arrested person would be dealt with according to the law.

The minister’s comments came after the second round of government-opposition talks ended in deadlock early Sunday following several hours of negotiations.

The talks were aimed at preventing the PTI’s planned October 4 march on Islamabad. The PTI subsequently announced that it would proceed with the march, while the government has vowed to prevent protesters from entering the federal capital.

The breakdown has left the two sides with sharply different accounts of the failed negotiations, with the government focusing on counterterrorism commitments by the KP administration and the PTI maintaining that its demands centred on political and legal rights, access to party founder Imran Khan and a jointly agreed strategy to combat terrorism in the province.

‘Govt made sincere efforts to make PTI talks successful’

Naqv said the government’s negotiating team had made sincere efforts over two days to make talks with the PTI successful, but said that the party’s inexperience was contributing to the current political confrontation.

“Our entire team made sincere efforts for two days to make the negotiations successful,” Naqvi said.

He said the government side had repeatedly tried to resolve differences whenever an obstacle emerged during the negotiations.

“At every hurdle, I kept saying, ‘Let’s resolve it,’” he said.

Commenting on the PTI’s preparations for its planned march on Islamabad, Naqvi said the government was monitoring developments at the grassroots level.

“You know what is being posted on their social media accounts,” he said, referring to the PTI’s online activity.

“They are preparing with a group, and we are monitoring them at the grassroots level,” Naqvi said.

The interior minister also attributed the PTI’s approach to what he described as a lack of political experience.

“Their inexperience is hurting them in a way that is not the case with ordinary politicians,” he said.

Naqvi also warned against combining the exercise of political power with physical confrontation.

“If they want to enjoy power and also engage in pushing and shoving, that cannot happen,” he said.

“You will see what happens to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister in the days to come,” Naqvi said.

The PTI has announced that it will proceed with the march on Islamabad, while the government has said it will not allow the protest to enter the capital.