Islamabad: Senior PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser has said the government’s refusal to grant the party leadership access to jailed founder Imran Khan was the main reason negotiations between the government and opposition ended without an agreement.

Qaiser said PTI was prepared to set aside its other demands if its political leadership could meet Khan before deciding on the proposed agreement. He claimed the government refused to include the meeting in the agreement or consider the demand.

He questioned why PTI could not consult its jailed leader when, according to him, PML N and PPP leaders routinely consult their respective leadership before making political decisions.

Qaiser said PTI could not finalise its position on major political and security matters without consulting Khan. The opposition had maintained during the negotiations that it could not make a final decision without first consulting the PTI founder.

He also rejected the government’s account that the negotiations failed because of disagreements over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s counterterrorism cooperation.

According to Qaiser, PTI proposed that the federal and KP governments maintain continuous consultation on counterterrorism and jointly develop a strategy for restoring law and order in the province.

Under the proposed framework, authorised representatives of the federal and provincial governments would meet within 72 hours to formulate an agreed plan. PTI also sought consultations with political parties and other stakeholders in KP before a counterterrorism policy was finalised.

The negotiations ended in deadlock after several revisions to a proposed agreement. The government offered a different account, saying disagreements over the KP government’s role in counterterrorism cooperation contributed to the talks' failure.