- Sanaullah urges PTI to set aside personal interests
- Says PTI’s sole agenda is creating instability in country.
- KP resources being used for political activity, accuses PM’s aide.
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday again offered talks to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying the government’s doors remained open for negotiations.
His remarks came as the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad has entered its fourth day. According to the former ruling party, the protest is aimed at seeking the release of its jailed founding chairman Imran Khan and what it describes as the restoration of constitutional supremacy.
The government-opposition talks aimed at averting the PTI’s October 4 long march towards Islamabad ended in deadlock on Saturday, with the two sides failing to reach consensus on key issues.
Both sides accused each other of sabotaging the dialogues. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday had accused the KP CM of attempting to sabotage negotiations between the PTI and the federal government.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja had claimed that the primary reason for the failure of the talks was the federal government’s insistence that all anti-terrorism actions it unilaterally initiated in KP must be owned by the provincial government.
Addressing a press conference today, the PM’s aide said: “No demands can be met by holding the state hostage.”
“Political differences can be resolved through negotiations,” Sanaullah added.
He urged PTI to “set aside personal interests” and come forward to resolve issues.
The PM’s aide alleged that PTI’s sole agenda was to create instability in the country, saying political instability had continued since 2014.
He said attempts to surround Islamabad had remained a key point of PTI’s politics since its 2014 march on the capital, adding that the party was now trying to march on Islamabad again.
Sanaullah said that PTI was using the KP government’s resources for the march, saying provincial resources had been “thrown into” the effort over the past two years.
Moving on to the security situation in KP, the PM’s aide said intelligence-based operations would continue in the province.
He said no new operation was being launched and “no IDPs will be made”, adding that the federal government and the field marshal had already made this clear.
He said the provincial apex committee was headed by the chief minister, but Sohail Afridi had held only one meeting during his 11 months in office.
“It is necessary that the policy against terrorism is implemented,” the PML-N leader said.
Slamming the KP government, Sanaullah said five districts in the province had no police stations, while 17,000 police posts were vacant.
He added that the counter-terrorism department had 3,300 personnel, of whom only 25 were permanent while the rest were on contract.
“The police and CTD are not being given a budget in KP,” he said, adding that the situation could not continue for long.
He said the government had asked the Afghan regime not to allow its territory to be used against Pakistan, but it had not accepted the request.
“Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China made all-out efforts and explained this to the Afghan regime,” he said, adding that the defence minister had travelled to Istanbul twice for a meeting on the issue.
He said any plan for terrorism in Pakistan made from Afghan soil would be eliminated.
The PML-N leader said the government had carried out limited operations “with evidence”, adding that the country’s policy on Afghanistan was supported by the nation, except PTI.
