ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the Senate that the emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could have been avoided if an agreement had been reached during negotiations, adding that no one wanted the measure imposed.
Naqvi said discussions in the House had focused on counterterrorism and included seven or eight points. He said PTI leader Asad Qaiser had assured the government that the party would stand with Pakistan on those issues. Naqvi added that he had told Qaiser the PTI’s position and that of the KP government appeared to differ.
According to the minister, six proposed changes were made during a fourth round of talks, and the government accepted them. After the points were settled, he said, the text was sent to the chief minister, who forwarded it to Murad Saeed. Naqvi claimed that the subsequent developments undid two days of negotiations.
Asked about Saeed’s whereabouts, Naqvi said he had information about him and would share it later.
The minister also said the options of imposing an emergency or governor’s rule had been available on November 26. Recounting events surrounding a planned PTI protest, he said the party had been offered a venue on November 25 but had asked for a phone call with its jailed founder before postponing the sit-in.
Naqvi said that after the call, some party members rejected the arrangement and demanded a video message. He claimed the government waited for two hours and later facilitated access to the founder, but the recording was delayed as he requested to make it the following day and then asked for his lawyers.
Responding to Senator Raja Nasir Abbas’s allegation that the Constitution had been violated, Naqvi said the government and the Pakistan Peoples Party had reviewed the relevant provisions and found no constitutional breach. He said the measure could be debated, but the government considered it justified.
