3 am at Parliament House. Sorry to say, despite 4 drafts that we had closed with all our principals and then again reopened to accommodate the PTI’s changes, talks collapsed on the KP government’s unilateral refusal to sign the afternoon’s pre-agreed draft on counter terrorism cooperation with the Centre. Terrorism is a core issue for the @PPP_Org. We lost more workers and Pakistan’s iconic prime minister Shaheed Benazir to terrorists who are amassing in critical cohorts in a province that is at war but has other political priorities. The idea was to bring the province on board on all CT actions. As a negotiating team we had repeatedly asked for the prov govt KP to be in the talks along with senior federal leadership of the PTI but the CM or cabinet reps did not turn up. If they had a viable draft they should have shown up themselves or communicated it to their committee over the two days, without constant reversals. No point presenting new drafts on social media after refusing to show up or sabotaging their own teams by broadcasting messages that subvert the process. In negotiations all over the world, timing and trust are key tests of confidence building. Had the province invested in building a mature working relationship with the federal authorities, or even been guided by some of their seniors in Islamabad, a crucial beginning could have been made. Nothing would have been unilateral. Instead of taking the opportunity the PPP-Govt team offered them to unlock the blind alley they have taken themselves into, their Peshawar government began dictating terms after 8.30 pm when all but final agreements had been signed. That is when the arbitrary spiral into amateur hour began. I have never in my 25 years in parliament seen such a reckless squandering of an opening to begin political CBMs, and to bring stability to Pakistan after years of bitter political division. Want to thank @BBhuttoZardari, @PresOfPakistan for trying hard to create this space, and giving us all this opportunity; @CMShehbaz and @AyazSadiq122 @MohsinnaqviC42 for staying patient through it all and to rest of our teams for staying focused in the face of constant reversals. Even before Sunday break of dawn, we did not walk away or close the doors. We waited until they stopped coming back. Thanks especially to all the hard-working journalists who stayed up night and day with us at the NA. We really went more than half way. The rest could have followed.

Thank you to all the parliamentary reporters for waiting for us day and night. We never appreciate enough the long hours you all put in with good cheer and tough working conditions 🙏🏽