Peshawar:
In response to the press conference for the military’s top spokesman, PTI-there is the rules of residual Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that the blame for terrorism cannot be placed on any single party and that the question of terror can only be resolved through dialogue.
On Saturday, PTI leaders Salman Akram Raja, Junaid Akbar, Asad Qaiser and Taimur Jhagra held a joint press conference at the party’s provincial secretariat in Peshawar.
The press conference came a day after Public Religion’s (ISPR) Director General LT Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told the KP government to work to protect the population of the province instead of “begging” the Taliban led Afghanistan on security.
By tackling the media, Salman Akram Raja said the party would not answer words for words at DG Ispr’s press conference as it did not want to participate in a confrontation.
“However, the language used to us will cause harm. We are facing any strength against Pakistan but terrorism cannot be removed through military power alone – the founder of the party [Imran Khan] have said the same. Balochistan and KP are bleeding. “
Raja claimed that under PTI’s rule at the center were incidents with terrorism at their lowest. Although former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had ties to India’s research and analysis wing (RAW), terrorism fell into KP, “he said.
He questioned why Pakistan had distanced himself from the Afghan government. He said IMRAN had ordered reforms in the province, which was a positive step. “Every time attempts were made to push a political party back, violence and blood emit,” he observed.
Raja remembered that PML-N led the federal government itself began conversations with TTP in 2022. “[PML-N’s] Rana Sanaullah also talked about negotiations with the Taliban. We have to decide who brought these militants back in 2021, “he demanded. He said the Pakistani army is our army and PTI is not opposed.
“For God’s sake, do not smooth false accusations against us. There must be an extensive political strategy to counter terrorism. Where weapons are raised, action must be taken. We are in charge of the constitution and the law,” he concluded.
PTI’s provincial president Junaid Akbar said the party supports dialogue with the Taliban. “Solutions can only be found through conversations. This is not Punjab – here the progress depends on listening to the people,” he said.
Akbar said the party had full confidence in IMRAN’s new elections for KP’s Chief Minister Position Sohail Afridi, adding that PTI would secure his success at the election to CM.
He said the party’s parliamentary meeting had decided that 92 members would vote for Sohail Afridi as CM. “All our workers stand with him,” he said with confidence.
“To bring a cm from the previous tribal areas aim to end the tribal deprivations. Obstacles placed in CM’s choice sends a wrong message to them,” he warned.
