Can the chief executive of a province negotiate with another country?

In an emotional speech on Wednesday night, chief minister of the terror-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in Pakistan, Ali Amin Gandapur, announced he would directly negotiate with the Afghan Taliban to put an end to terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The federal government, however, is having none of it.

Defence minister Khawaja Asif called the announcement "a dangerous attack on the federation". Speaking in parliament, Asif said no province can directly negotiate with a foreign country, labelling Gandapur's remarks as "poisonous", and urged him to reconsider.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) rules KP with Gandapur in the driving seat, while rival political party Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leads the coalition in the federal government.

"They don't care"

Gandapur announced his intention to send a delegation to Afghanistan at a gathering of lawyers and parliamentarians after having gone off the radar the previous night. Following PTI's rally on Sunday, several members of the party were arrested from parliamentary premises, and Gandapur was unreachable for several hours.

He reappeared at a gathering on Wednesday, apparently taking aim at the military establishment without naming names.

"My police have lost confidence, my people have lost confidence ...I swear they don’t care that [we are bleeding]...How long will I put up with this? I announce I will speak to [the Afghan Taliban] as chief minister and I’ll resolve this," he said.

Gandapur’s comments come amid escalating violence in KP. The CM stressed the need for a clear policy to combat militancy through local support of military operations, highlighting growing frustration with Islamabad's handling of security in the region.

Figures for Pakistan, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, show that the fatalities of security forces in terrorist attacks have continued to outnumber civilian deaths for the last five years.

Not a big deal

Security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana told Nukta that leading a peace delegation to a neighboring country isn't unusual. “We have seen delegations to Iran, headed by governors, for peace talks. There is nothing wrong; it isn't a national issue.”

On the other hand, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Syed Abrar Hussain believes Pakistan needs to sort out its internal issues first. “Many other leaders have visited neighboring countries to play a positive role in peace-building, such as Maulana Fazlur Rehman," he told Nukta. Maulana Fazlur Rehman leads a right-wing political party with support in KP and Balochistan.

Hussain gave a caveat though: "If the CM is going officially, then he should seek permission from the federal government and attend a foreign office briefing."