FAISALABAD:
Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said if the PTI wants to continue its political activities in the country, it should stand with its armed forces today.
“If it is [PTI] stands today with the Pakistani army, its martyrs and Pakistan, without any problem, then a path forward could open up for them,” Sana said on Sunday at a press conference in his hometown of Faisalabad. The prime minister’s adviser was apparently referring to the Pakistani army’s response to firing by Afghan forces along the western border.
According to security sources, Afghan forces opened unprovoked firing at several locations along the border on Saturday evening, including in Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Zhob district of Balochistan province.
The firing, they added, was aimed at facilitating the cross-border movement of formations of “Khawarij” – members of the TTP. Pakistan Army posts responded quickly and forcefully.
The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday that 23 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom during the clash, which also left 200 Taliban and TTP members dead.
A day before the clashes, the ISPR chief had publicly criticized the PTI which rules the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and advised it to work towards protecting the people of the province instead of “begging” for security from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Responding to the ISPR chief’s press conference, the PTI said the blame for terrorism could not be placed on one party alone and the issue of terrorism could only be resolved through dialogue.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Salman Akram Raja said the PTI opposes all forces opposing Pakistan “but terrorism cannot be eliminated by military power alone”, the party founder said. [Imran Khan] said the same thing. Balochistan and KP are bleeding.”
Raja claimed that during PTI’s rule at the Centre, terrorist incidents were at their lowest level. Even though former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had ties with the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), terrorism within the KP has reduced,” he said.
He questioned why Pakistan had distanced itself from the Afghan government. He said Imran had ordered reforms in the province, which was a positive move. “Whenever attempts have been made to push back a political party, violence and bloodshed have followed,” he observed.
Raja recalled that the PML-N-led federal government had itself initiated talks with the TTP in 2022.”[PML-N’s] Rana Sanaullah also spoke about negotiations with the Taliban. We must determine who brought these activists back in 2021,” he demanded.
