ISLAMABAD – The failure of government-opposition negotiations exposed deep divisions within opposition camp, with sources claiming that National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai emerged as key figure in deadlock, repeatedly linking any agreement to a meeting with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan.
The prolonged negotiations, aimed to stop PTI’s October 4 long march towards Islamabad, ended without breakthrough after both sides failed to agree on the sequence of concessions, particularly whether the march should be called off first or whether the opposition should be granted access to Imran Khan before making a commitment.
Two sides moved remarkably close to an understanding, with the government showing flexibility on several demands. According to the sources, one proposal under discussion involved facilitating a meeting between PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Imran Khan.
As per reports in local news channel, the understanding ran into obstacle when Achakzai insisted that the final decision on calling off the march could not be taken without consulting Imran Khan. That position effectively shifted the centre of gravity of the negotiations from the negotiating table to the prison cell where the PTI founder remains incarcerated.
Achakzai told opposition leaders that no final decision should be announced before meeting Imran Khan, while insisting that the authority to call off the street movement ultimately rested with Khan and KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. The government wanted the PTI-led opposition to take the first step by cancelling or postponing the long march.
The opposition, however, maintained that it could not make such a commitment before securing access to Imran Khan. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar subsequently made clear that the march remained on the table, while stressing that no emergency or governor’s rule should be imposed in KP.
Sources have now portrayed Achakzai as one of the key voices inside the opposition negotiating camp. They claim he repeatedly brought the discussion back to three issues, first the access to Imran Khan, his release-related demands and the authority to decide the fate of the long march.
At one stage, according to the sources, the negotiations appeared close to producing an understanding. But Achakzai’s insistence that the opposition could not make a final commitment without consulting Imran Khan reportedly reopened the deadlock.
Achakzai had already been authorised by Imran Khan to handle negotiations, according to earlier reporting. The role of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also comes under light. Sources claim that opposition leaders faced difficulty reconciling the political strategy of the federal opposition with the KP government’s increasingly confrontational position over the march and security issues.
According to the sources, the KP government was reluctant to accept the federal government’s position on counterterrorism and assistance to terrorism-hit districts, creating another layer of friction in the negotiations.
The government side had also made counterterrorism and law-and-order concerns a central part of the talks. Reporting from the negotiations confirms that terrorism, KP security and the planned march were among the major issues under discussion.
Behind the closed doors, the talks reportedly exposed a wider problem: who actually had the authority to make the final call? The opposition negotiating team included senior PTI figures and allied opposition leaders, but sources claimed that differences between the parliamentary leadership, Achakzai and the KP government repeatedly complicated the process.
Government negotiators believed they had already shows considerable flexibility. But the government’s red line remained the same: there could be no compromise on terrorism and the security situation.
PPP leader Sherry Rehman, who was part of the negotiating process, also said the draft agreement had been revised several times while stressing that terrorism was an issue on which there could be no compromise. The government’s position was further complicated by growing security concerns surrounding the proposed march.
By Saturday night, hopes of a breakthrough had risen—and then collapsed. According to reporting, the two sides had reportedly reached agreement on several points, but a fresh dispute emerged over whether the opposition could commit to cancelling the march without first consulting Imran Khan.
PTI Long March kicks off today as Govt-Opposition Talks end in Deadlock
