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ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said the government would not accept political demands through pressure tactics or attempts to “hold the state hostage”, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) maintained that its long march would continue until its demands were addressed.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah said the government remained willing to engage in dialogue but would not allow political instability to be used as a means of forcing acceptance of demands.
“I want to say this clearly today that no demand can be accepted by holding the state hostage or pursuing the path of political instability,” he said.
He urged PTI to put aside what he described as politics of instability and prioritise national interests by resolving political differences through negotiations.
Sanaullah said the government’s doors remained open for talks but warned that negotiations could not take place under pressure.
The adviser accused PTI of promoting a culture of political intolerance, instability and abusive political rhetoric since 2011.
He said political tolerance, which he described as a traditional feature of Pakistani politics, had increasingly been replaced by what he termed below-the-belt political discourse.
Sanaullah also linked PTI’s current protest strategy to its 2014 Islamabad sit-in, saying the party had continued to use blockades and protests as a political tactic.
“Political instability began in 2014 and now 12 years have passed. PTI, as a political party, has consistently carried forward this agenda,” he said.
Referring to the 126-day sit-in in Islamabad in 2014, he added that “laying siege to Islamabad” had remained one of PTI’s political strategies.
The adviser also criticised the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly using provincial resources to support the current long march.
Sanaullah rejected PTI’s criticism of the government’s counterterrorism policy, describing claims that the federal government was not responsible for the policy as an attempt to create confusion.
He said the policy had already been formulated and was being implemented, with intelligence-based operations in K-P remaining a major point of contention between the federal and provincial governments.
Sanaullah said Pakistan’s armed forces and law-enforcement agencies were conducting operations against militants while risking their lives.
He alleged that the K-P government opposed these operations, despite attacks targeting police personnel and civilians in the province.
The adviser said intelligence-based operations would continue and rejected claims that the government was planning a new operation that would result in the displacement of civilians.
He said the federal government had made it clear that there was no plan to create internally displaced persons, describing such claims as an attempt to spread fear among the public.
Turning to relations with Afghanistan, Sanaullah said Pakistan’s primary demand was that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
“There is not a word beyond this demand,” he said.
He said countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China and Türkiye had also urged the Afghan authorities to prevent their territory from being used for militant activities against Pakistan.
According to Sanaullah, Kabul had not provided Islamabad with the guarantees it was seeking.
He said Pakistan reserved the right to act against training camps or other facilities on Afghan soil if there was evidence that they were being used to facilitate terrorism in Pakistan.
The adviser said the country’s counterterrorism policy was based on lessons from four decades of developments involving Afghanistan, the Taliban and militant groups.
He maintained that there was national consensus on the policy, while attributing disagreement from PTI to what he described as the party’s political priorities.
Sanaullah also questioned K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s participation in the apex committee and asked how frequently the provincial government had raised objections or proposed improvements to the counterterrorism policy.
He argued that the existing policy had produced results but claimed that gaps in provincial governance and political instability were affecting its implementation.
The adviser further said security forces remained under-resourced in parts of K-P and that civilian administration, police and Counter Terrorism Department personnel were not sufficiently present in areas cleared during military operations.
According to Sanaullah, the absence of a sustained civilian presence could allow militants to regain influence in areas previously cleared by security forces.
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Meanwhile, PTI K-P spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai rejected reports of pressure on the party to end its long march and said only jailed PTI founder Imran Khan could decide when the protest would be called off.
The march, led by K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, has changed its route and is expected to move towards Khyber before proceeding to Peshawar.
Yousafzai also rejected threats of governor’s rule in the province and criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s repeated offers of dialogue.
He called on the government to move beyond public statements and address PTI’s demands, including access to Imran Khan and the release of imprisoned women, including the former prime minister’s sisters.
“We will not back down from our demands for a meeting with Imran and his transfer to hospital,” he said.
Yousafzai also criticised K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi over his reported meeting with senior provincial officials, arguing that the governor had exceeded his constitutional authority.
He said terrorism could not be addressed by undermining K-P’s electoral mandate and called for all stakeholders to be brought together to formulate a strategy against militancy.
“All problems will be resolved through negotiations,” he said.
Meanwhile, K-P police spokesperson Alam Khan said a security plan had been prepared for the route from Peshawar to Nowshera amid security concerns.
He said drone cameras would be used to monitor the march and its surrounding areas.
According to the police spokesperson, security arrangements had been divided into three categories, with three senior superintendents of police assigned responsibility for security in the city, suburban areas and along Ring Road.
Around 300 personnel would be deployed along the march and its routes, while the City Patrol Force would remain stationed at Peshawar’s entry and exit points.
