Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday met with President Asif Ali Zardari, with the country’s overall security and political situation coming under discussion, according to an official handout. The statement issued by the President House said the premier was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar. It said that PPP’s Sherry Rehman and Syed Naveed Qamar were also present. “It was agreed during the meeting to convene separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate on Tuesday (Oct 13),” the statement said. The development comes as the PML-N-led federal government and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government led by the PTI — which is in opposition in the Centre — have been at odds over various issues, particularly on the counterterrorism policy. The PTI has said it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP, which the Centre has denied. It also calls for reviewing the counterterrorism policy, while the latter criticises the KP government’s efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objects to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban. In recent days, federal ministers have assailed the PTI for staging a protest long march, which it has been warned against, at a time when KP faces security challenges. They have also linked differences over the counterterrorism policy with the possibility of an emergency or governor’s rule in KP. Earlier on Saturday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar assailed the KP government over a “lack of governance” in the province, alleging that the provincial administration was given Rs700 billion under the National Finance Commission for development projects. “You did not upgrade the Counter Terrorism Department, did not establish forensic labs, did not install safe city cameras, which should be installed in the merged districts and all the entry-exit points of KP’s districts,” he alleged. On the other hand, the information minister claimed that the PTI was spending this money on organising protests. PM speaks to Fazl on reducing tensions between Centre, KP govt Separately, PM Shehbaz had a telephone call with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam—Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, with reducing tensions between the Centre and the KP government among the topics discussed. According to a statement from the Prime Minister Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz congratulated the JUI-F leader on performing Umrah and extended an invitation for talks at the Prime Minister House. “Maulana Fazlur Rehman accepted the prime minister’s invitation [and] the meeting is expected to take place soon,” the statement read. The phone call follows recent contacts between Fazl, known for his engagement with politicians from across the board, and the opposition. The Oct 3 talks held to bridge differences between the Centre and the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) failed due to multiple reasons, particularly the counterterrorism policy. On Tuesday, TTAP leaders called on Fazl at his residence, following which the veteran politician advised the federal government not to obstruct the PTI long march heading towards Islamabad, as protests were a democratic right enjoyed by all political parties. The next day, PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq met the JUI-F chief. On Thursday, PTI MNA Junaid Akbar confirmed that Fazl had offered to play a role in ending the deadlock between the government and opposition, adding that the PTI’s “doors are open” to it. Speaking on Geo News, Akbar had said no framework had been put forward by Fazl regarding his role in the negotiations, although he noted that the JUI-F chief had been in touch with PTI leadership while he was away for Umrah. The same day, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also hinted at efforts to restart negotiations between the Centre and the opposition, saying, “I wish a positive result comes out of the efforts of those involved in the talks. But, I have little hope.” Speaking to Dawn, JUI-F spokesman Aslam Ghauri said his party chief was playing the role of a “facilitator, not a mediator”. He distinguished the two roles by saying that a mediator would have the authority from opposition parties to make his own decision in light of their demands. “It is our (JUI-F’s) priority to bring both sides on table for resumption of talks,” he added, pointing out that they had urged the government to call a multi-party conference in Parliament House, where political and security issues should be discussed. The JUI-F leader said sitting at the table would benefit both sides, though the resumption of dialogue would mostly benefit the PTI because the KP government is “virtually being run by someone else and not by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi”.