The government must adopt the same approach it used in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regarding the banned Pashtun Tahafuz Movement and the Kurram incident for negotiations in Islamabad as well, former federal minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said on Tuesday.

“The government will need to take a step back,” he said while appearing on Aaj News’ programme News Insight with Amir Zia.

His comments came as the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf delegation talks failed.

The PTI supporters marched to Islamabad on Tuesday amid roadblocks and police shelling. A policeman was killed and dozens injured in clashes with protesters, with the interior ministry saying a few were in critical condition.

Khan’s followers are on the streets for his release. They believe that the PTI founder has wrongfully been arrested and allege that cases against him are politically motivated.

Durrani suggested that releasing political prisoners and those unlawfully detained could be the first step for the government to ease tensions in the environment, noting that this was also done by former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

He warned that this alone would not resolve the issue, saying that a solution would only be found when the people’s rights are established in accordance with the Constitution.

The former minister added that the government and the prime minister should confront the realities in Islamabad rather than “fleeing” to Lahore. He stated that political prisoners should be released, followed by formal negotiations with their leadership, which should include a structured agenda.

Durrani claimed that there are individuals within the government who are perceived to have connections with the establishment. He suggested that such individuals should also be included in the negotiations to help facilitate a resolution to the issues.