Mohsin Naqvi Blames KP Chief Minister for Breakdown of PTI Talks

LAHORE, October 4, 2026: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of derailing government-opposition negotiations after the two sides had prepared a draft agreement, an allegation disputed by Afridi as PTI's long march moved toward Islamabad.

Speaking at a news conference in Lahore, Naqvi said government and opposition negotiators had settled most of the issues that could be agreed and produced a draft. He said he took a copy to President Asif Ali Zardari while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remained informed about the talks, according to ARY News.

Naqvi alleged that changes were made after he returned and that Afridi refused to accept the proposed arrangement. He questioned why the chief minister had not taken part directly if he intended to make the final decision.

The minister's account is one side of a contested negotiation. Afridi has published his own seven-point draft and says PTI's demands are constitutional, lawful and unchanged. Business Recorder reported that Naqvi rejected that document as different from the text the negotiating teams had discussed.

Competing Drafts

Afridi's proposal calls for regular meetings between the prime minister and parliamentary opposition leaders, a standing political committee, legal and medical rights for Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, permitted family and lawyer visits, and faster consideration of cases involving prisoners.

It also proposes that federal and provincial representatives meet within 72 hours to develop a coordinated security strategy for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PTI says written assurances on agreed measures would be required before it considered ending the long march.

Naqvi has offered a different description of the security component. He said the KP government had been expected to provide an implementation plan and make clear commitments against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban and other militant organisations. He has also referred to reconsideration of provincial policing legislation in light of the security situation.

The disagreement appears to concern both the wording of the settlement and who had authority to approve it. Opposition negotiators may have reached provisional understandings, but Afridi's role as chief minister gave him a central position on commitments involving provincial security policy.

Warnings Over Islamabad March

Naqvi paired his criticism of Afridi with warnings about PTI's protest. He said authorities would take legal action against people who broke the law and would not allow demonstrators to storm the federal capital. He also said Afridi would bear responsibility for casualties during the march, a politically charged claim made before any such outcome.

PTI says the march is peaceful and is intended to secure Khan's release and press its political demands. Thousands of supporters began travelling from Lakki Marwat on Sunday after the talks ended without an agreement.

The interior minister said President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz had instructed the government side to pursue dialogue while keeping them updated. He also said the Pakistan Peoples Party had asked PTI to postpone the march, although the government itself had not made that request in the same terms.

The competing statements leave several questions unresolved: which provisions were actually accepted, whether negotiators had authority to bind the KP government, and whether security commitments can be separated from PTI's demands concerning prisoners and political engagement.

Further talks remain possible, but the public exchange has hardened positions. Naqvi portrays the breakdown as a last-minute rejection by Afridi; the chief minister presents it as a refusal to accept conditions that did not reflect PTI's stated draft. Any renewed process will likely require both sides to establish an agreed text before claiming that a settlement is close.