Islamabad:Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was consistently pursuing a confrontational political agenda, insisting political parties could not be allowed to place their political interests above national security and the lives of citizens.
Addressing a press conference here, he said PTI’s political strategy, particularly its repeated marches towards Islamabad, had contributed to intolerance and confrontation in the country.
He said the trend had its roots in the PTI’s 2014 Islamabad sit-in, when the party staged a prolonged protest in the federal capital, adding that Islamabad had since remained a central point of its political mobilisation.
‘From 2014 onwards, the PTI has pursued this political course continuously. Islamabad has repeatedly been made the focus of its protests, including in 2022 and 2024, and now another attempt is being made in 2026,’ Sanaullah said.
He alleged that the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) had been using its resources to facilitate the planned march towards Islamabad instead of concentrating on governance and the security situation in the province.
The adviser said the timing of the political mobilisation was particularly concerning as security personnel and civilians continued to lose their lives in terrorist incidents in KP.
‘On one side are the bodies of martyrs, including police personnel, members of the armed forces and civilians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while on the other side the provincial government is encouraging people to gather for a march towards Islamabad,’ he said.
Sanaullah said the PTI’s disagreement with the policy appeared to be rooted in its political position rather than any substantive difference over counter-terrorism.
He said the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies had been making enormous sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
‘Look at the profile of our martyrs. Many of them were young men in their twenties, some were newly married and some had infants at home. They sacrificed their lives for the security of this country,’ he said.
Sanaullah said the role of provincial governments was crucial in sustaining the gains made by security forces after intelligence-based operations.
He explained that the security forces were primarily responsible for clearing areas of terrorists, while the civil administration and police were required to take over and maintain law and order once an area had been cleared.
‘The armed forces clear an area through intelligence-based operations, but after that the civil administration and police have to hold the area. If the civilian law-enforcement structure is absent, the gains of the operation cannot be consolidated,’ he said.
He claimed that a major problem in KPK was the inadequate presence and capacity of the police and civilian law-enforcement structure in several areas.
He said political activity was a constitutional right, but using government machinery and resources for confrontation at a time when the province was facing a serious security challenge was unacceptable.
‘Prioritising a personal or political agenda over the national interest is neither permissible under the Constitution nor consistent with political ethics,’ he said.
Sanaullah also claimed that the PTI had so far failed to mobilise large numbers of people for its march despite announcing the protest well in advance.
He said the PTI had been attempting to mobilise people since Oct 4 but had not been able to gather significant numbers at any point.
‘The media is aware of the situation. Despite all efforts since October 4, the PTI has not been able to bring together more than a few thousand people at any place,’ he said.
The adviser strongly rejected the impression that the government was preparing a new large-scale military operation that would result in the displacement of people in KP.
He said Pakistan already had a counter-terrorism policy and intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were being conducted against terrorists on a daily basis.
‘There is no new policy under which people would be displaced. The existing counter-terrorism policy is already in operation and intelligence-based operations are continuing successfully,’ Sanaullah said.
Sanaullah also recalled that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had made it clear that people would not be internally displaced as a result of the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
He said the PTI’s claim that it had been excluded from consultation on counter-terrorism policy was ‘incorrect and misleading.’
According to him, the core of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy was based on intelligence-led operations, through which security forces identify terrorist networks, clear affected areas and eliminate militants.
The adviser urged political forces, particularly the KPK government, to focus on governance, public welfare and security instead of political confrontation.
‘People elected provincial governments to govern, protect their citizens and improve their lives. At a time when terrorism is claiming lives, these responsibilities should be the first priority,’ he said.
Talking about Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan, Sanaullah said Islamabad had adopted a justified position by demanding that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
He said Pakistan had presented evidence to the Afghan interim authorities regarding terrorist attacks originating from Afghan soil and that the Afghan side had acknowledged the evidence.
‘Pakistan has repeatedly provided evidence about terrorism originating from Afghanistan, and the Afghan authorities have accepted the evidence. However, they have not given us a guarantee that their territory will not be used against Pakistan,’ he said.
Sanaullah said Pakistan reserved the right to take measures against training camps or other activities on Afghan soil that could pose a threat to the country.
‘Our policy is clear: Pakistan has the right to neutralise any training camp or activity on Afghan territory that is likely to facilitate terrorism against Pakistan,’ he maintained.
He said the policy was based on Pakistan’s experience of dealing with terrorism for more than four decades.