The government and opposition parties in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday vehemently opposed the proposed counterterrorism campaign originally titled “Operation Azm-i-Istehkam” but rebranded as “Vision Azm-i-Istehkam”.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur called an all parties conference (APC) to discuss the reinvigorated and re-energised national counter-terrorism campaign and gather opinions and form a unified stance among political parties in the province.
According to chief minister’s adviser on information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, all political parties will be brought to the table. The nitty-gritty details, such as the date and time, will be ironed out later.
The purpose of the APC is to inform and gain the confidence of all political parties on the current situation. In a related development, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to convene a jirga to discuss the operation on Wednesday (today), which will include tribal elders and PTI’s central and provincial leaders.
The jirga will have extensive discussions on peace and stability in the tribal areas. Resolutions passed during the jirga will be presented to the chief minister and later to the parliament and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Reacting to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement that four chief ministers were present in the apex committee meeting, and none of them opposed the operation, Barrister Saif accused Asif of engaging in deceitful politics.
He clarified that the chief minister did not support any operation during the Apex Committee meeting, where only a discussion on Azm-e-Istehkam took place without any decision.
Opposition
Meanwhile, the ANP and Jamaat-e-Islami questioned the effectiveness of the government policy with regard to planning and strategy under the campaign.
Criticising the operation, Mian Iftikhar, provincial president of Awami National Party (ANP), stated that the presence of banned organisations in Punjab was an undeniable reality.
He recalled that the federal interior ministry acknowledged the presence of 94 banned organizations in Punjab in 2015, and the Punjab Home Department reported 84 such organisations in 2023.
In a video message, Mian Iftikhar urged that his statements not be taken as criticism but questioned the actions taken under the National Action Plan against these groups. He reiterated ANP’s clear stance against terrorism, stating that they have always opposed terrorism and will continue to do so.
He condemned the use of terrorism for political and personal gains and stressed that no one should be allowed to exploit terrorism for such purposes. He also mentioned that any significant decisions should involve all stakeholders, including Parliament, the Senate, and all assemblies.
He also criticised resettlement agreements with terrorists, which lacked transparency and seriousness.
Meanwhile, JI provincial emir Prof Mohammad Ibrahim Khan has issued a stern warning that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan can no longer bear the burden of additional military operations as the provinces were still recovering from the ‘destruction’ of previous such moves.
Criticising the launch of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, Prof Ibrahim stated that the military operations ongoing since 2001 have yielded nothing but bloodshed and dollars.
He questioned how much more blood would be spilt for a few dimes in these regions and insisted that this cycle of violence must end.
The JI leader called for an end to the “curse” imposed by former president General (rtd) Pervez Musharraf, declaring that neither Jamaat-e-Islami nor the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa support any military operations.
He lamented that the province has yet to recover from the destruction of previous operations, and now another one is being imposed.
“This is not an operation for stability; it is the destabilisation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he stated. He further criticised former military leaders who claimed to have broken the back of terrorists, questioning how these “broken” terrorists have reappeared.
He warned that further operations would only widen the gap between the military and the public, eroding the remaining trust in the armed forces.
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