PTI rejects terror facilitation charge, calls for unified national policy

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday strongly rejected allegations that it facilitated terrorism, saying the party has consistently held that terrorism is a national menace and must not be politicised.

The remarks were made at a press conference in Islamabad by PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, senior leader Salman Akram Raja and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser. The briefing came in response to comments by the military’s spokesperson, who earlier accused a political party in power in 2021 – widely seen as a reference to PTI – of “internally facilitating terrorists”.

Barrister Gohar said PTI’s position on terrorism has always been clear. “Terrorism is a menace and it is a national responsibility to eliminate it from its roots,” he said. “Our stance has always been that there should be no politics on terrorism. We need a single stance and a unified national narrative.”

Read: DG ISPR blames K-P’s political environment for terror spike

He said it was wrong to label PTI or its government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as uncooperative. “This is far from the truth,” he said, pointing to a grand jirga held in the province in which several political parties participated. He said the jirga had stressed that decisions should be taken in confidence with the provincial assembly.

“Terrorists have no religion, nationality or boundaries. They do not distinguish between men and women. They attack our mosques and Eidgahs, and we condemn every attack,” Gohar said. He added that questioning why PTI was not being targeted by terrorists was “inappropriate and dangerous”.

“We believe that whenever there is a terrorist attack anywhere, the entire country is targeted,” he said.

Gohar said PTI’s government in K-P had increased the capacity of the provincial police force and spent Rs40 billion for this purpose. “The top priority of PTI and its government has always been the protection of life and property, and there can be no compromise on this,” he said.

He warned that blaming PTI through press conferences and allegations was widening the divide between institutions and political forces. “This is harmful for the nation at this time and should be avoided,” he said, adding that he hoped such press conferences would not be needed in the future.

The PTI leaders were responding to remarks made two days earlier by Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who questioned PTI’s counterterrorism narrative and linked rising militant violence in K-P to what he described as a “politically permissive environment”. The military spokesperson said about 80 per cent of terrorist incidents had taken place in K-P and alleged a political-terror nexus behind the surge in attacks.

Read more: ‘Conducive environment’ behind K-P terror surge, says DG ISPR

At that briefing, the DG ISPR played video clips of senior PTI leaders and showed screenshots of statements attributed to PTI founder Imran Khan, questioning their opposition to military operations. He said the party was resisting counterterrorism efforts and “seeking help from Afghanistan”.

Salman Akram Raja said it was completely wrong to describe the PTI founder as sympathetic to terrorists. “We do not support terrorists. We only oppose the killing of innocent people,” he said. He questioned who was supplying weapons to Daesh, saying the question had been raised with the DG ISPR but not answered clearly.
He said wars are fought jointly by the armed forces and the people, and that PTI could help bridge the gap between the public and state institutions. “Drone attacks on weddings and attacks on mosques are unacceptable to us. That is why we say such operations are not acceptable,” he said, adding that Pakistan would ultimately have to engage with the Afghan government.

Raja said PTI wanted continuity in policies and a comprehensive national policy on terrorism. He said economic deprivation was a major issue in affected areas, where employment opportunities had not been created. “PTI has been wrongly accused. We have come with a message of unity,” he said, adding that the party stood against displacement and wanted to protect citizens, whether threats came from terrorists or the state.

Asad Qaiser said no dialogue could succeed without Imran Khan’s involvement. “This press conference is not against anyone,” he said. “We want strong institutions and a strong army, but institutions must also function within their constitutional limits.”

He said military operations had been ongoing in K-P for the past 17 to 18 years, yet terrorism had not ended and had instead increased. “If a policy is not successful, it must be changed,” he said, adding that decades of conflict fought in the name of jihad had damaged local culture and spread the Kalashnikov culture due to the Afghan war.

Qaiser also raised financial issues, saying the federation owed K-P billions of rupees, adding that the province was not being given its due share and its development budget was released intermittently.

“PTI is the largest political party in Pakistan, yet there is a campaign against us and attempts to crush us,” he said. “Pakistan is our life, and we oppose efforts to create hatred between the people and institutions.”

Barrister Gohar said no political party in K-P had been spared by terrorism and that PTI did not want interference by any country in Pakistan’s internal affairs. He said PTI was not holding talks with anyone at present, adding that the mandate for any negotiations had been given by Imran Khan to Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

He said PTI had previously engaged in talks but nothing came of them. “If nothing changes, why should we sit again?” he asked.

Gohar also said the K-P chief minister had urged that the voice of the people be heard. “Institutions, their heads and politicians are not fathers of the nation; they are servants of the people,” he said.

He added that PTI did not send any representative to the National Dialogue Committee formed a day earlier, despite him being invited to attend.