PESHAWAR — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has extended an offer of negotiations to the federal government, insisting his administration has never turned its back on dialogue.
Addressing senior journalists, Afridi invited the federal government to enter talks while noting that seven days remain before the announced long march.
Afridi Urges Immediate Negotiations
“If you want to hold talks, then do it now. If negotiations are going to take place later as well, why not hold them now?” Afridi said.
The chief minister maintained that his willingness to negotiate has been consistent over time. “We were ready for talks yesterday, and we are ready today. We have never backed away from negotiations,” he said.
Accusations Against the Rulers
Afridi claimed that those in power were actively obstructing an understanding between his provincial government and the establishment.
He said his government had been reaching out to various state institutions over the past nine months but had received no response.
“That is why we were compelled to give the call for September 27,” he said.
Call to Resolve Matter Through Dialogue
The chief minister urged the authorities to use the seven days remaining before the march to settle the matter through negotiations rather than confrontation.
He also asserted that the country was being governed under a “one-man policy,” whose representative, he claimed, is Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The offer of talks comes as political tensions persist over the planned long march, with the provincial government pressing for a negotiated resolution before the deadline.
