ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday renewed the government’s offer of dialogue to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urging its delegation to make decisions during negotiations rather than return to jail to seek approval from party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan. Speaking at the joint sitting of the Parliament, Naqvi said the government had made repeated efforts to secure PTI’s cooperation on counterterrorism but faced differences with the party and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government over a coordinated response to the security situation. Defending the federal government’s decision to impose governor’s rule in the province, he said it had been reluctant to take the step but had been left with no alternative after months of disagreements and unsuccessful efforts to reach an understanding with the PTI and the KP government. Naqvi said the federal government could not pursue one policy against terrorism at the national level while the provincial government adopted a different approach. “If we think that we cannot stand with a soldier because we cannot politically afford it, how are we supposed to lead an operation?” he asked, urging lawmakers to separate political differences from security concerns. He said the government had not accused the PTI as a party of carrying out terrorist activities, but had raised concerns about alleged coordination between some individuals at the local level and militants. “No political party should be accused of terrorism,” he said, adding that any wrongdoing, if established, should be addressed. The minister urged PTI lawmakers to engage with their provincial leadership to identify and resolve the differences that had undermined cooperation on counterterrorism.