Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday urged the opposition to set aside its other demands and sit down with the government to discuss counterterrorism. "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is ready to invite all stakeholders to discuss this [terrorism]," he said while speaking during a Senate session.
Pakistan is facing the problem of terrorism, he said, adding that the Zarb-e-Azb operation had been launched through consensus. He said the government was willing to hold talks with the opposition on the issue and called on opposition parties to reconsider their positions.
Sanaullah also referred to his interactions with Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas, saying he had suggested that Abbas meet the prime minister or visit the National Assembly speaker's office. According to the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Abbas declined the suggestions, saying he would not meet the prime minister and did not recognise the speaker.
Comparing the cooperation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan governments, he said that the latter was fully cooperating with the armed forces and the federal government. Sanaullah said that the KP chief minister had repeatedly said he would not allow an operation in the province.
Separately, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that an 11-member consultative committee was working under the leadership of KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. Chaudhry blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s stance for the decision to take emergency measures in KP, saying the move was taken due to the party's "stubbornness."
The minister pledged that infiltration from Afghanistan would also be controlled effectively, saying any nexus between terrorists and elements hostile to Pakistan was unacceptable. He said the federal government's efforts during negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been aimed at reaching an agreement on counterterrorism.
"Without effective cooperation at the provincial level, it was practically impossible to combat terrorism," Chaudhry said, alleging that the KP government had refused to cooperate with the federal government on its policy concerning Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that voices within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were emerging in favour of pursuing politics rather than confrontation.
"If Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) engages in politics, it will have a lot of space," he said. According to Asif, the Imran Khan-founded party would benefit if its leadership moved beyond the influence of social media.
Asked about remarks by other PML-N leaders concerning Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asif said he could not comment on their statements, adding that he had only criticised Fazl's strong remarks from a political perspective. The government remains committed to maintaining national security through political consensus, despite the ongoing friction with the opposition benches in both houses of Parliament.