ISLAMABAD: What started as an attempt to achieve political consensus has led to another serious deadlock, as talks between the federal government and the PTI-led opposition broke down over counterterrorism policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and access to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

The talks, held over Friday and Saturday, ended without agreement with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown. In particular, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of sabotaging the talks while PTI leaders dismissed the charge, saying the federal government had refused to accommodate legitimate provincial concerns.

The crucial thing is who should be in charge and take ownership of counter-terrorism operations in KP. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the government wanted the provincial administration to endorse the actions being taken unilaterally by the federal government and its institutions. He said PTI maintained that any major security strategy should be agreed by Islamabad and Peshawar and drawn in consultation of political parties and other stakeholders in the province.

But the government says security cannot be politicized. Naqvi said that the KP government had first agreed to a written agreement and a 72-hour plan for the implementation of counterterrorism measures, cooperation with the security forces and the implementation of the National Action Plan but later backed off.

The dispute went far beyond security policy as well. PTI said among the issues that remained unresolved were access to Imran Khan, his medical treatment and consultation with his personal physicians. It was hard to do any meaningful political negotiations without allowing its leadership to speak to Khan, the party said.

The breakdown of talks comes at a sensitive time, with the PTI having gone ahead with its planned march to Islamabad. The failure of dialog therefore runs the risk of pushing Pakistan’s political tensions into yet another confrontational phase.

But for KP the stakes are even higher. The province has already been facing serious security challenges and the cooperation between the federal and provincial governments is key. The immediate question is not simply who won or lost the negotiations but if both sides can get back to the table before political differences make the fight against terrorism even more complicated.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)