The government has formally written to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, asking him to respond and sit down with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to settle “issues on constitutional positions”. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah confirmed on Friday that the Sanaullah Achakzai letter had been sent, marking the latest attempt to reopen dialogue after the breakdown that followed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa emergency.
What the Sanaullah Achakzai letter seeks
Sanaullah said there was “no issue of ego or stubbornness in this”, referring to a meeting between PM Shehbaz and Achakzai. “This type of talk that come here or come there, it doesn’t change anything. What is the rationale of this?” he asked, dismissing the opposition leader’s conditions on the venue. When the two meet, he added, they could discuss the issues which should be discussed constitutionally.
Achakzai says premier can come and have tea
Earlier on Friday, Achakzai had set out his own terms. He said the premier could come to the opposition’s office “and have tea with me or give me an invitation and wherever he wants to have negotiations I will go”, adding: “Or I can go to him at the prime minister’s house and give him an invitation.”
Achakzai also criticised the government’s handling of the opposition: “Discussions will not take place like this. The way you have made fun of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and our people of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan.”
A day earlier, he had said dialogue required a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, and recalled that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had met the prime minister. “Negotiations cannot take place in an atmosphere where the process itself is being mocked,” he said, a position he reiterated while ruling out talks without consulting the PTI founder.
K-P emergency at the centre of the standoff
The standoff traces back to October 11, when President Asif Ali Zardari approved the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the advice of PM Shehbaz and after approval by the federal cabinet. Executive authority moved to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, with 12 districts under the proclamation. The PTI rejected the decision as an attack on provincial autonomy and its electoral mandate; federal ministers blamed terrorism and governance failures. On October 12, the party filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court challenging the move, days after the centre first signalled that an emergency was under serious consideration.
On October 15, a joint sitting of parliament approved the emergency and governor’s rule with a majority vote. The opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan later announced it was ending negotiations with the centre, citing unconstitutional measures.
Two earlier letters on election commission posts
It is not the first outreach. The prime minister had already written two letters to Achakzai on appointing the chief election commissioner and ECP members, one before his US trip and one after. The government is still waiting for a reply.
Sanaullah maintains the Prime Minister House is state property, not personal, rejecting the demand for a neutral venue. “We are ready to welcome the opposition leader for the meeting,” he said, a position consistent with his earlier defence of the governor’s rule as a counterterrorism necessity.
Whether the new letter breaks the deadlock remains to be seen. The opposition wants a personal invitation from the prime minister and a meeting with the PTI founder first. The government wants Achakzai at the PM House to talk constitutional business. The push for dialogue comes as Islamabad manages several fronts at once, from the K-P emergency to the freshly ratified Makkah defence pact.
Frequently asked questions
What did Rana Sanaullah announce?
A letter has been sent to opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, entreating him to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on “issues on constitutional positions”.
What was Achakzai’s response?
Achakzai said the premier could come to the opposition’s office “and have tea with me”, or invite him wherever he wanted negotiations. He added that talks could not happen while the process was being mocked.
Why have government-opposition talks broken down?
The two sides are at loggerheads over the October 11 emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which moved executive authority to the governor. The opposition calls it unconstitutional; the government cites terrorism and governance failures.
