Govt, PTI trade blame after talks end in deadlock

Talks between the government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ended without a breakthrough as both sides blamed each other for the failure of the negotiations. Following the failure of the talks, the PTI announced that it would begin its long march today. Despite holding hours-long talks on Saturday, the two sides also failed to agree on a new round of negotiations. The talks continued until the early hours of Sunday, but the two sides could not reach an agreement on the draft. Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah said the long march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had refused to assure the government that it would support and play its role in counterterrorism operations, which prevented the sides from reaching an agreement. Speaking to the media, opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the deadlock remained unresolved. He said the differences concerned “small things”, but the two sides could not reach an agreement. He added that the issue of a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan also remained unresolved. Earlier reports had said that the government and the PTI had agreed on several key points after hours-long negotiations, with the PTI expected to withdraw its planned October 4 march on Islamabad. Sources said the government had agreed to immediately release detained PTI leaders, including Imran Khan’s sisters, arrange a meeting between party leaders and the PTI founder, transfer Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to hospital, and ensure that cases against the former prime minister were fixed for hearing at the earliest. In return, the PTI had reportedly agreed to immediately call off the planned long march, cooperate with the state in the fight against terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and assure the government that it would not march on Islamabad in the future, according to the sources. The reported terms also included an understanding that no one would be allowed to hold gatherings outside Adiala jail and that no political statements would be made to the media after meeting Imran Khan.

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