Government renews talks offer to PTI, says state cannot be held hostage
- Rana Sanaullah said the government remained open to negotiations with PTI despite the breakdown of earlier talks.
- He accused the party of using Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s resources for its march towards Islamabad.
- He said intelligence-based operations would continue in KP, without a new military operation or displacement of residents.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has renewed the government’s offer of negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying political disputes should be settled through dialogue and demands cannot be secured by holding the state hostage.
مسلم لیگ ن کے مرکزی رہنما اور مشیر سیاسی امور رانا ثناء اللہ کی نیوز کا نفرنس https://t.co/l91CV4TuzP— PMLN (@pmln_org) October 7, 2026
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Sanaullah said the government’s doors remained open and urged PTI to put aside personal interests and engage in talks to resolve outstanding issues.
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His remarks came as PTI’s long march towards Islamabad entered its fourth day. The party says the protest seeks the release of its jailed founding chairman, Imran Khan, and the restoration of constitutional supremacy.
An earlier round of government-opposition negotiations aimed at preventing the October 4 march ended in deadlock on Saturday, with neither side reaching agreement on the main disputes.
Both sides subsequently blamed each other for the breakdown. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on Sunday of trying to derail the negotiations.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, meanwhile, said the talks failed primarily because the federal government wanted the provincial administration to endorse all counterterrorism actions it had initiated unilaterally in KP.
Sanaullah accused PTI of pursuing an agenda of instability, saying political unrest had persisted since 2014. He argued that attempts to surround Islamabad had remained central to the party’s approach since its march on the capital that year.
He also alleged that the party was using KP government resources to support the latest march, claiming provincial resources had been committed to such efforts over the past two years.
Turning to security, Sanaullah said intelligence-based operations against terrorism would continue in KP. He maintained that no new operation was being launched and that residents would not be displaced, saying the federal government and the field marshal had already clarified this position.
The adviser said the provincial apex committee was chaired by the chief minister, but alleged that Sohail Afridi had convened only one meeting during his 11 months in office. He stressed the need to implement the policy against terrorism.
Criticising the province’s security arrangements, Sanaullah claimed that five districts had no police stations and that 17,000 police posts remained vacant.
He said the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department had 3,300 personnel, of whom only 25 held permanent positions, while the rest worked on contracts. He further alleged that the police and CTD were not receiving the necessary budget, warning that the situation could not continue for long.
On Afghanistan, Sanaullah said Pakistan had asked the Afghan authorities to prevent their territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan, but claimed the request had not been accepted.
He said Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China had made extensive efforts to persuade the Afghan authorities on the issue. Pakistan’s defence minister had also travelled to Istanbul twice for meetings, he added.
Sanaullah said Pakistan would act against terrorist plots originating from Afghan soil. He described the government’s operations as limited and based on evidence, and claimed its Afghanistan policy had national support, with PTI being the exception.
