Sana urges PTI to 'stand with army'

PML-N leader says such solidarity can open a path forward for Imran's party

FAISALABAD:

Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said if the PTI wants to pursue politics in the country, it should stand with its armed forces today.

"If it [PTI] stands with the Pakistan Army, their martyrs and Pakistan today without any ifs or buts, then a path forward may open up for them," Sana said on Sunday while speaking at a press conference in his native town of Faisalabad. The PM's adviser was apparently referring to the Pakistan Army's response to the Afghan force's firing along the western border.

According to security sources, Afghan forces on Saturday night opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations along the border—including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Zhob district in Balochistan province.

The firing, they added, was aimed at facilitating the cross-border movement of the formations of "Khawarij"—TTP operatives. The Pakistan Army's posts responded swiftly and forcefully.

The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday said 23 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom during the clash, which also left 200 Taliban and TTP operatives dead.

A day before the clashes, the ISPR chief had publicly criticized the PTI which rules over Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province and advised it to work on protecting the people of the province instead of "begging" Taliban led Afghanistan for security.

Responding to the ISPR chief's press conference, the PTI said the blame for terrorism could not be placed on any single party and that the issue of terror can only be resolved through dialogue.

Addressing the media on Saturday, Salman Akram Raja said the PTI stands against every force that is against Pakistan "but terrorism cannot be eliminated through military power alone—the party founder [Imran Khan] has said the same. Balochistan and the K-P are bleeding."

Raja claimed that during the PTI's rule in the Centre, incidents of terrorism were at their lowest. Even though former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani had ties with India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), terrorism in the K-P decreased," 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 were made to push back a political party, violence and bloodshed followed," he observed.

Raja recalled that the PML-N led federal government 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 militants back in 2021," he demanded.