Naqvi says talks with opposition have collapsed, accuses KP CM of 'sabotaging' negotiations

Naqvi notes negotiations with opposition have collapsed, accuses KP CM of 'sabotaging' negotiations.

Key points

• News DeskSyed Irfan Raza Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 5, 2026 12: 14am.
• Nevertheless, shortly before 3am on Sunday, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
• Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Naqvi's residence to offer condolences over the death of his maternal uncle, Akmal Hussain Naqvi.
• Naqvi then went to Peshawar, where he met KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.
• Kundi remarked in his own statement that KP Inspector General of Police Zulfikar Hameed was additionally present at the session.

News DeskSyed Irfan Raza Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 5, 2026 12: 14am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi remarked on Sunday that the negotiations between the federal administration and the opposition had collapsed as the PTI had initiated its long march, accusing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of "sabotaging" the negotiations.

Naqvi was addressing a press conference in Lahore after an hours-long second round of discussions between the two sides concluded without yielding any results.

"Their team was reasonable. I am repeating that I will not blame anyone else for all of this collapsing. There is only one person responsible for the entire collapse, and that is the KP chief minister, " the interior minister declared.

According to He further, afridi was to be responsible "if there is any loss of life". He remarked those supporting the PTI leader should "realise that they will be committing contempt of court, and we will take legal action against them to every possible extent".

He cautioned that no one would be allowed to violate the Islamabad High Court's order regarding protest. The IHC order, issued on Sept 14, ruled that no political party or its leadership has the "lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and buildings in Islamabad".

Notably, Naqvi stressed that there "had been no request from our side for the long march to be postponed".

"When we had the first session, we informed them that the long march was not an matter for us. Nevertheless, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had already given an indication and had additionally given a date. A day earlier, he had remarked that the PPP wanted the long march to be postponed and for the temperature to be brought down, " he went on.

Naqvi explained that the PTI was given the option to hold a protest but would not allow an attempt to "create a disturbance".

"We offered them this option. Now, if they violate the orders, whether they are workers or politicians, whether they are protesting within KP or outside KP, we will pursue them one by one. This time, we want to ensure that this repeated episode of creating a disturbance in Islamabad comes to an end, " he asserted.

According to the interior minister, there were two agreements to be reached – one was a "main agreement" that would cover whatever was being decided with the opposition parties, and the other was regarding counterterrorism.

"If we had known that no one in this committee was authorised to give a commitment on behalf of the KP government, or that the KP government would veto all these things, we would not have held the negotiations in this form in the first place, " he remarked.

In practice, the minister remarked the two sides had agreed "100 per cent on political things" so that the KP administration could come on board with the Centre on the counterterrorism problems.

"It is not appropriate that there is a war going on in one province and the ministers there are giving statements against the army, are not coming to funerals, and at the local level, somewhere or the other, terrorists are also being given support, " he continued.

"If there is a military operation, would you tell the army which gun to employ or which drone to apply? This happens nowhere in the world, " he remarked.

Naqvi detailed Saturday's developments: I requested CM Afridi to onboard the KP administration as, definitely, the challenges we are facing are coming from the KP administration. He remarked, 'Okay, I am going now, ' so we postponed the gathering until tomorrow. All members agreed to the postponement.

"They (opposition team) held negotiations with CM Afridi for four hours. The KP CM offered them his feedback and provided them the mandate that whatever they finalise with him, they should proceed with it."

Notably, the interior minister accused Afridi of changing the draft of the agreement despite what had been agreed to earlier.

"When I forwarded the draft to the KP chief minister, around 9pm he became active. Once the draft is finalised, he asks for changes once and then asks again, and by 12am or 12: 30am at night, he brings an entirely new draft. And in that, he changed the things that we had locked after discussing them, " Naqvi asserted.

In an apparent jibe at the KP CM, Naqvi observed that placing "immature and inexperienced people in positions of authority had consequences for the country".

"You have seen previously how chief ministers came to this province and the country continued to suffer the consequences. Similarly, if an immature boy sits in a position of authority, has no experience and has not seen politics, then definitely he will call himself a representative of the individuals, but he will produce decisions in the same way as my team and I witnessed yesterday."

Commending the government's delegation, the minister remarked: "They worked non-stop for 12 hours and, even before that, produced sincere efforts to resolve the matter. I will offer them credit for the fact that at no point did they say no. They remained focused on resolving the matter. From the smallest matter to the major ones, all the members produced a sincere effort to resolve them in a good manner." Naqvi meets Kundi at Governor House.

According to a statement issued by the Governor House, both leaders expressed reservations over the "risk of facilitating terrorists to safely cross security checkposts" during the PTI's Islamabad march.

They agreed that whenever the president and the prime minister deemed it necessary to impose governor's rule or emergency to "save the province from terrorism and destruction, the Governor's House will play a full Constitutional role".

Meanwhile, the interior minister and the governor discussed significant matters at the provincial level, including growing unrest in the province, the political scenario, and the situation arising from the Islamabad march.

Notably, the statement read that the KP government's attitude during the negotiation regarding counterterrorism actions was tantamount to enmity toward the individuals and the province.

Naqvi and Kundi additionally termed the apply of helicopters and other administration resources by Afridi and the provincial ministers for the march as a "blatant violation" of the IHC verdict.

Other matters of mutual interest were additionally discussed in the gathering, and consultations were held on numerous problems, according to the statement.

Kundi remarked in his own statement that KP Inspector General of Police Zulfikar Hameed was additionally present at the session. It revolved around the prevailing security situation in the province.

"The security of our individuals remains our foremost priority. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has sacrificed enough, and every institution must work together to protect our individuals and defeat terrorism, " the governor stated.

According to the PM Office, the interior minister additionally briefed PM Shehbaz in detail on the "key negotiations held last night and the progress made" so far.

PM Shehbaz additionally met with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif to discuss the "overall political situation in the country", state broadcaster Radio Pakistan noted.

Matters of international importance were additionally discussed during the gathering. It was attended by Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz as well, the report continued.

Earlier in the day, Naqvi additionally maintained on X that the KP administration had agreed to sign a written agreement and submit an implementation plan within 72 hours, mainly covering counterterrorism initiatives, during the negotiations held over the weekend, but then backtracked. According to Naqvi, the PTI had agreed to.

"Last night, during the final phase of negotiations, the KP administration backed out of these commitments. Security must not be politicised while the province is at war, " he remarked.

Meanwhile, the session between the opposition and federal administration at Parliament House began after 4pm on Saturday, with discussions focusing on the PTI's planned Oct 4 march to Islamabad. The discussions extended into the early hours of Sunday without yielding any results.

Nevertheless, shortly before 3am on Sunday, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. This person was part of the opposition delegation, informed the media that the discussions had not resulted in a breakthrough.

Taken together, the developments around naqvi says talks with opposition have collapsed, accuses KP CM of ' sabotaging' point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.