PTI march reaches Karak after Saturday talks ended is stalemate

PESHAWAR: A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) long march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reached Karak from Lakki Marwat on Monday, a day after talks between the government and the opposition ended without agreement over counterterrorism measures and other issues.

Afridi travelled by helicopter from Peshawar to Lakki Marwat, where party workers received him at the helipad before the procession set off for Karak. He said it would stay in Karak on Monday night and move on the following day, and that the party would announce its plan for each day of the march.

Afridi rejects policies made behind closed doors

Addressing workers, the chief minister said the provincial government would not accept policies formulated behind closed doors if they went against the interests of KP.

He claimed the country had been at peace when the PTI was in power at the federal level, while the present government’s policies had failed to curb terrorism and had instead contributed to its rise. He also claimed the policy proposed by his government could restore peace in the province within 100 days.

The march follows Afridi’s earlier statement that the PTI would not allow a repeat of the May 9, 2023 unrest. The party had postponed its initial September 27 date before announcing a new schedule that takes the convoy through Karak and Kohat to Matni near Peshawar. PTI leaders have described the protest as peaceful.

Talks end without agreement

The march began after negotiations between the government and the opposition ended late on Sunday without a deal. The talks, which began on Friday, ran for around 10 hours on the final day, and the two sides could not agree on a draft.

According to sources, the government had agreed to let PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and party leader Asad Qaiser meet PTI founder Imran Khan. The sources said the PTI had accepted the government’s demands, but differences emerged later in the negotiations.

Government representatives cited counterterrorism cooperation as the main point of disagreement. Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had refused to assure the centre that it would support security forces in counterterrorism operations. He said the march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad.

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the talks had failed over counterterrorism, accusing the provincial government of being unwilling to implement the National Action Plan. He urged the PTI to cooperate in what he described as a national struggle for stability.

Naqvi says several points agreed

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, however, said the two sides had agreed on several points. According to him, the provincial government had agreed to provide a written agreement and implementation plan within 72 hours, review the Police Act 2026 in light of the security situation, and ensure that terrorists were not given safe havens in the province.

Naqvi also met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi at Governor House on Sunday, hours after government-opposition talks ended in deadlock and the PTI set off on its long march towards Islamabad.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said a “win-win” draft agreement had been finalised after several rounds of talks and reviewed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari. He claimed KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi then sought changes despite the negotiating teams having agreed the text. “The draft was changed four times and then it was finalised,” he said.

Afridi reached Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat by helicopter to lead the march’s first phase. Kundi criticised the use of an official helicopter, calling it contempt of court under Islamabad High Court orders.

Barrister Gohar said the government’s response to the long march should not be emergency rule or governor’s rule. Ahead of the second round of talks on Saturday, he had said his party wanted the march to go ahead without either being imposed, and had criticised what he called irresponsible statements by some ministers.