Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday renewed the government’s invitation to talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Speaking in the National Assembly, he asked the party’s delegation to make binding decisions during negotiations rather than go back to jail to seek approval from party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Naqvi said Islamabad had repeatedly tried to secure PTI’s cooperation on counterterrorism, but disputes had arisen with the party and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government over how to respond jointly to the security situation. He defended the federal decision to impose governor’s rule in the province, saying the government had been hesitant to take that step but had run out of options after months of disagreement.
Governor’s rule and the counterterrorism dispute
Naqvi argued that the federal government could not pursue one national strategy against militancy while a provincial administration followed a different course. He put the question to lawmakers directly: “If we think that we cannot stand with a soldier because we cannot politically afford it, how are we supposed to lead an operation?” He urged them to keep political rivalries separate from security matters.
He stressed that the government had not accused PTI, as a party, of carrying out terrorist acts. Instead, he said, officials had raised concerns about alleged links between some individuals at the local level and militant groups. “No political party should be accused of terrorism,” he said, adding that any wrongdoing, if proven, should be dealt with.
The minister called on PTI legislators to consult their provincial leadership and settle the differences that had weakened cooperation on counterterrorism.
Government rejects claim it walked out of talks
Naqvi rejected the opposition’s assertion that the government had abandoned negotiations. According to him, government representatives stayed available while the opposition delegation held internal consultations. “We did not walk away from the negotiations,” he said, and he asked lawmakers who had taken part in the discussions, including National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, to confirm his account.
He said the government kept seeking common ground until the final hours, even when the chances of success looked slim. Naqvi also maintained that the government had not treated the talks as a contest of political prestige and had tried to meet many of the opposition’s demands.
He described a document setting out the points discussed, which placed the start of political dialogue first on the agenda. It envisaged a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leaders, followed by a political committee to take up unresolved issues. The paper also covered the legal rights of prisoners, including medical care and visits from family, and requests concerning the sentences of elderly and ill prisoners. Naqvi added that the point on ending a long march had been included at the suggestion of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman.
Demand for full negotiating authority from PTI
Naqvi said the government was prepared to negotiate and expected PTI’s representatives to have the authority to decide at the table. He asked why the party’s senior leadership seemed unwilling to let its negotiators act independently, insisting that the delegation should arrive with a clear mandate. “We are ready. We were ready before, and we are ready now,” he said, noting that the prime minister had repeatedly voiced support for political dialogue.
He said contacts between the two sides had continued in recent weeks and that the government had no objection to further engagement. In his view, the central question was whether PTI’s representatives had enough authority to reach an agreement.
Naqvi also defended how the government had handled requests about Imran Khan’s health. He said doctors had given detailed briefings to opposition representatives, and that arrangements had been made for hospital check-ups on the same night whenever concerns arose about his condition. Referring to the former prime minister’s eye problem, he said the government had accepted requests from his family and the names the opposition had proposed for involvement in hospital arrangements.
According to Naqvi, however, further conditions were raised after the matter appeared settled, and the opposition then said it would visit the hospital itself. He said the government had made concessions on these issues to keep the negotiations on track.
Apex Committee meeting and the National Action Plan
Naqvi recalled an Apex Committee meeting held in Peshawar in February, which he attended along with the corps commander and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. He said the meeting was meant to establish a shared position on counterterrorism, and that the government had struggled to convene it and wanted a joint statement saying all sides would work together against terrorism. In his account, the process did not yield the public commitment the government had sought.
He also noted that security personnel had been killed on the day of the meeting, and that participants learned of the deaths while the proceedings were under way. The chief minister was later persuaded to attend the funeral prayers for the slain personnel, Naqvi said.
The minister said the views some PTI representatives voiced in political discussions differed from the approach taken by the provincial government. He singled out PTI leader Asad Qaiser, saying Qaiser had indicated willingness to sign an agreement and back counterterrorism measures. Naqvi said he had asked Qaiser to pass that position on to the provincial leadership, because in his assessment the two were not aligned. He further alleged that PTI representatives had been reluctant to condemn the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) publicly, despite being asked to during discussions. Naqvi said counterterrorism had been among the first items taken up in the negotiations and dismissed suggestions that the government had raised it for political gain.
Naqvi argued that the National Action Plan was not a fresh demand from the current government. He said the framework had been approved with the participation of political parties, including while PTI was in power, and should not be dropped simply because a party had left office. He added that the provincial government should lead counterterrorism efforts, with the army, the Frontier Corps and other security institutions in support.
He referred to a proposal, developed with the provincial government, to strengthen police in five districts and phase out civilian armed forces over six months so that police could take on greater responsibility. He questioned whether the plan had been carried out effectively, saying political disagreements had made it harder to build a coordinated security strategy.
Alternatives to governor’s rule and closing remarks
Naqvi said the federal government had explored alternatives to the collapse of negotiations right up to the final 24 hours, because it did not want the process to fail. One option, he said, was for the provincial government to introduce emergency measures itself in 12 districts, a proposal he claimed had been discussed and agreed during the talks.
He also rejected allegations that Islamabad had exploited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s financial problems for political ends. He said he had held several meetings with the chief minister and the federal finance minister to address the province’s concerns, and had facilitated discussions with the prime minister and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. The aim, he said, was an understanding on security and governance rather than political advantage.
At the close of his address, Naqvi responded to remarks by opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai about Form 47, a document that has figured in allegations of electoral manipulation. Naqvi said he could not speak for the opposition benches, but challenged lawmakers to swear to the legitimacy of their own election victories.
