• Raja says dialogue collapsed due to disagreements on anti-terror policy
• Govt ‘still open to talks’, claims it made sincere effort to break deadlock

ISLAMABAD: As the government reiterated that its doors were open for a dialogue with all political parties, the PTI on Monday said reconciliation with the ruling coalition was not possible without the involvement of jailed party chief Imran Khan.

Addressing a press conference at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in the federal capital, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said only Imran Khan was able to bridge the gulf “developed between the state and the nation”.

“Imran Khan is very important for us and we had every right to seek his opinion, but it was not allowed,” Mr Raja said about the recent talks with the government.

The PTI leader said another reason for the failure of the talks was that the government was not willing to pursue a collective strategy against terrorism. “We were being pushed to support the government over every action being taken regarding terrorism in KP,” he said, adding that the PTI had demanded that the government respect the recommendations and opinions of a jirga held by the KP Assembly, in which political parties and stakeholders had participated.

“We were told that a unanimous strategy against terrorism would not be developed and it would not be included in the agreement,” he said, adding that the government had deliberately complicated the situation.

Door open for talks

Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry said the government firmly believed in reconciliation and made serious efforts to resolve matters through dialogue and negotiation. The PTI sabotaged the negotiation process, he alleged.

Flanked by Prime Minister’s Coordinator Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Barrister Danyal said the government engaged the PTI with complete sincerity and made every effort to resolve matters amicably.

“The government is ready to take all political forces along and believes in resolving political differences democratically through dialogue and reconciliation,” he said, noting that the PTI lacked clear leadership on negotiations.

On the performance of the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said serious questions had been raised over the past 15 years regarding governance and law and order in the province. “Corruption flourished in KP while basic facilities and administrative improvements remained elusive,” he claimed.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, however, said the government’s delegation had suggested that both sides “be on the same page” about terrorism.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026