RAWALPINDI:
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned that growing tensions with Afghanistan could increase the threat of terrorism. He emphasized the search for a political and not a military solution to this problem.
“Imran said that PTI strongly condemns all forms of terrorism but believes that the solution lies in political dialogue. Military strikes in Afghanistan could lead to increased terrorist activity in Pakistan,” PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said after meeting the PTI founder at Adiala Prison on Tuesday.
Gohar was speaking to the media outside the prison along with Senator Ali Zafar and lawyer Muhammad Ali Saif. Earlier, PTI leaders met the party founder during the hearing of the Toshakhana-II case, the proceedings of which were also held in a courtroom inside the jail.
According to the PTI chairman, Imran said: “The army is ours, and the martyrs are ours. The blood of ordinary citizens must not be shed, but the end of terrorism must come through political means.
Imran was referring to ongoing tensions with neighboring Afghanistan, which attacked Pakistani army checkpoints along the entire western border on Saturday.
The army then retaliated and killed around 200 members of the Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Twenty-three Pakistani soldiers also embraced martyrdom during exchange of fire.
The PTI founder, the leaders said, said he had no enmity towards the army, noting that many members of his family serve in the armed forces. “The distribution of treason certificates must stop,” Imran was quoted as saying.
Advocate Saif added that Imran Khan also condemned the violence against the leaders and workers of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and called for peaceful protest against such incidents.
Punjab authorities cracked down on a TLP protest march in Muridke on Monday. According to Punjab Police, five people, including three TLP employees and a police officer, were killed in the crackdown.
The leader said this was their first meeting with the party founder after the change of chief minister in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where the PTI is in power.
They added that Imran Khan thanked all MPAs for electing his new choice Sohail Afridi as the new CM and also praised former CM Ali Amin Gandapur for his leadership.
According to them, Imran Khan said that the government belongs to those who hold public office and expressed hope that the issue of swearing-in in KP would be resolved smoothly.
Imran also congratulated all party officials and stressed that whoever he appoints will become the chief minister as KP remains the political stronghold of PTI.
During the media interaction, a journalist asked Gohar Ali Khan what was the disagreement between the PTI and the Army when the two insisted on the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) adopted after the December 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.
Gohar responded that “people” were creating confusion without reading the NAP, clarifying that the press release of the PTI’s January all-party conference also mentioned the NAP and targeted operations.
He also reminded reporters that Imran Khan himself had signed the original NAP, emphasizing that the PTI seeks unity and not confrontation.
Speaking to media near Adiala Jail, Aleema Khan, sister of Imran Khan, said that PTI is a major political party with workers across the country. She said a new political reality has emerged after the general elections on February 8, 2024 and that “everyone now recognizes it”.
Aleema revealed that Imran Khan had informed former KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur several times about a particular issue, but it was not implemented.
She quoted Imran Khan as saying that Pakistan should start talks with Afghanistan instead of launching military operations. “Imran Khan is considered a great leader all over the world – maybe you don’t realize that,” she told reporters. “Recognize and respect such a great leader,” she added.
