ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the government’s doors remained open for negotiations but warned that no demands could be accepted by holding the state hostage or creating political instability.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah urged political parties not to place personal or party interests above the national interest, saying outstanding issues should be resolved through dialogue.
His remarks came as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march towards Islamabad entered its fourth day, with the convoy set to move into Khyber district from Mattani on the outskirts of Peshawar.
Sanaullah said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already invited the opposition to hold talks and that the government had repeatedly tried to engage the PTI and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, including over the planned march on Islamabad.
However, he accused PTI of promoting what he described as a culture of abuse, intolerance and political confrontation, saying the party had pursued the objective of besieging Islamabad since 2014 and was now using provincial government resources for that purpose.
He said political tolerance, which should underpin democratic politics, had been eroded and alleged that PTI had pursued its political agenda at the expense of broader national interests.
KP government using resources for march
Referring to the long march, Sanaullah said the KP government had been mobilising people through rallies, slogans and drums, urging them to gather and move towards Islamabad.
He said the provincial government’s approach was particularly concerning at a time when security personnel and civilians in the province were being killed in terrorist attacks.
“On one side, the bodies of martyrs are lying, while on the other, the entire provincial government was beating drums and raising slogans, urging people to gather and march towards Islamabad,” he said.
Sanaullah said the victims included customs officials, police personnel, civilians and members of the armed forces, stressing that they were residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rather than supporters of any particular political party or province.
He said a large number of armed forces personnel martyred in the fight against terrorism also belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The adviser claimed the KP government’s mobilisation drive had failed to attract significant public support, saying the marchers had not been able to gather more than a few thousand people at any location since the march began on October 4.
He also questioned arrangements at camps established for protesters, saying millions of rupees had allegedly been collected for the camps but even basic facilities such as mats were unavailable.
Sanaullah said the provincial government had repeatedly been asked to reconsider its approach and focus on governance and public welfare.
“But they say their agenda is not governance or the welfare of the people,” he said, referring to the KP government, adding that its stated objective was driven by its commitment to PTI founder Imran Khan.
He said a province with a population of around 40 million people should not be subjected to instability because of an individual or political agenda.
Govt rejects PTI claim over terrorism policy
Sanaullah also sought to clarify what he described as a misleading interpretation of the issue that led to a deadlock in talks between the government and PTI.
He rejected PTI leader Salman Akram Raja’s claim that the government had refused to incorporate the opposition’s viewpoint into its counterterrorism policy.
According to Sanaullah, it was incorrect to suggest that the government had told PTI it had no role in the formulation of counterterrorism policy.
“The counterterrorism policy already exists and is being implemented,” he said.
He said the policy was primarily based on intelligence-based operations being conducted by the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Sanaullah said security forces were conducting these operations with “great courage” and making sacrifices to eliminate militants responsible for attacks on law-enforcement personnel and civilians.
He said PTI had repeatedly expressed opposition to such operations, questioning how intelligence-based operations against militants could be opposed when the targets were groups attacking Pakistani citizens and security personnel.
He referred to attacks on customs officials and police personnel, as well as an attack on a passport office and a suicide bombing at a jirga in Swat where civilians were present.
“These intelligence-based operations are against these terrorists. How can they be stopped and how can anyone oppose them?” he asked.
Sanaullah categorically rejected the impression that a new military operation was being launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or that fresh internally displaced persons would be created.
He said Field Marshal Asim Munir and the federal government had already made it clear that there would be no new displacement of people.
He said intelligence-based operations would continue and expressed confidence that militants would eventually be eliminated from Pakistani territory.
Pakistan seeks assurances from Afghanistan
Sanaullah said the second major issue discussed during negotiations concerned Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan’s demand was that Afghan territory should not be allowed to be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
According to Sanaullah, Pakistan had sought the assistance of friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China and Türkiye, to persuade the Afghan authorities to provide assurances that their territory would not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
He said these countries had made efforts to convince the Afghan authorities, but the Afghan regime had not agreed to provide the required guarantee.
Sanaullah said Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had travelled to Istanbul twice for negotiations, while representatives of Pakistan’s military leadership had also participated in the process.
He claimed the Afghan authorities had acknowledged evidence presented by Pakistan regarding the alleged use of Afghan territory for terrorist activities but had refused to provide a guarantee against such activities.
He said Pakistan reserved the right to neutralise threats if training camps or other activities existed on Afghan soil that could subsequently result in terrorism inside Pakistan.
Sanaullah said Pakistan had already conducted limited operations based on evidence.
He rejected the suggestion that PTI or the KP government had been excluded from discussions on the policy, saying the policy was based on decades of experience and enjoyed national consensus.
‘KP CM held one Apex Committee meeting in 11 months’
Sanaullah said the KP government’s role was critical to the success of the counterterrorism policy, particularly after security forces cleared areas of militants.
He pointed out that the provincial Apex Committee was headed by the chief minister and questioned the participation of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in its proceedings.
According to Sanaullah, Afridi had held only one Apex Committee meeting during his 11 months in office.
He said Afridi had not regularly convened meetings or used the forum to raise objections to the existing policy or suggest improvements.
Sanaullah said Afridi had initially been reluctant to attend even that meeting and had later been persuaded to participate.
He questioned how the provincial government could demand greater consultation on counterterrorism policy while remaining absent from the forum established for coordination on security matters.
“The whole issue is already under consideration. Everything is being considered and everyone is being consulted,” he said.
He said the KP government’s provincial assembly resolution had also been taken into consideration, rejecting the impression that its proposals had simply been ignored.
‘Civil administration must hold areas cleared by forces’
Sanaullah said the counterterrorism strategy required security forces to clear areas of militants through intelligence-based operations, after which responsibility for maintaining law and order should be transferred to the civilian administration, police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
He said this second part of the strategy was not being adequately implemented in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“When the armed forces and other law-enforcement agencies clear an area and move forward, the same situation returns three or six months later because there is no effective civil administration presence,” he said.
Sanaullah said five districts in the province did not have police stations and questioned how the government could guarantee the protection of life and property without basic policing infrastructure.
He said around 17,000 police posts were vacant in the province and claimed there had been no adequate recruitment or training in recent years.
The CTD, he said, had around 3,300 personnel, of whom only 25 were permanent while the remainder were working on an ad hoc or contractual basis.
He also alleged that the police and CTD were not being provided with adequate budgets.
Sanaullah said police stations lacked proper buildings and equipment and that the police had sought funds to secure their facilities and procure weapons but had not received the required budget.
He described the CTD’s funding situation as effectively “zero budget” and questioned who would protect the lives and property of millions of people if the provincial government did not fulfil its responsibilities.
“Who will do this job? Who will protect the lives and property of millions of people? Who will answer for this?” he asked.
‘Police making sacrifices in fight against terrorism’
Sanaullah praised the KP police for what he described as improved performance in the fight against terrorism, saying police personnel were also being killed while performing their duties.
He said the current inspector general of police in the province deserved appreciation for his efforts.
The adviser said the sacrifices of security personnel should be viewed against the backdrop of the young age of many of those killed in the fight against terrorism.
He referred to soldiers and officers in their early 20s and 30s who had sacrificed their lives, saying some had been due to marry within months while others had left behind infants.
He said these personnel had sacrificed their present for the security of the country’s future.
Govt seeks written commitment from KP
Sanaullah said the government’s demand during negotiations was that the KP government should fulfil its constitutional and administrative responsibilities in the fight against terrorism.
He said a draft discussed during the negotiations proposed a written agreement under which the provincial government would undertake to strengthen and support the civilian administration, police and CTD.
Under the proposed arrangement, he said, security forces would clear areas through intelligence-based operations, while the civilian administration would subsequently take responsibility for maintaining peace and law and order.
The purpose, he said, was to ensure that areas cleared by security forces remained secure and that militants did not return after the operation ended.
Sanaullah argued that the absence or weakness of the provincial administration was one of the reasons for gaps in the implementation of the counterterrorism policy.
He said the sacrifices of armed forces personnel and law-enforcement officials could not continue indefinitely without the civilian administration taking responsibility for maintaining security after areas had been cleared.
‘Political instability cannot deliver development’
Sanaullah reiterated that the government remained willing to negotiate and resolve political disputes through dialogue but said political instability could not take precedence over national security and public welfare.
He said the government had attempted to engage the KP government and PTI and had also held talks with them to address their concerns.
However, he maintained that personal or party political objectives could not override the national interest.
Sanaullah said political stability was essential for development and that no country could achieve meaningful economic and social progress without it.
He called for the provincial government to focus on governance, strengthen civilian institutions and fulfil its role in the counterterrorism framework rather than using provincial resources for political confrontation in Islamabad.