By Asif Naveed
Web Desk; PTI founder Imran Khan on Tuesday reaffirmed that his party would safeguard the mandate given by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and would not take any action against their interests.
His statement came days after ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stressed that Pakistan would never compromise its national security.
Addressing the security situation in Peshawar on Friday, the DG ISPR stated that appeasement of terrorists and their facilitators “was not and never will be a policy”. He was responding to Imran’s call — made from jail — for initiating talks with the Afghan Taliban to end bloodshed.
Lt Gen Chaudhry made it clear that no individual, particularly “the one most responsible for bringing terrorism back to KP”, could dictate national security. He also highlighted governance gaps in the province and issues related to counter-terrorism funding.
In a post on Imran Khan’s official X account, the PTI founder congratulated KP MPAs on a smooth political transition following Sohail Afridi’s election as chief minister.
He praised the assembly members for voting for his nominee without hesitation and lauded outgoing CM Ali Amin Gandapur for his repeated resignations made “without any reluctance”.
Calling the new chief minister his “opening batsman”, Imran emphasised that PTI was the largest political party in Pakistan and warned against branding dissenters as traitors.
“Labelling people as anti-state merely for holding different views is extremely dangerous,” he said.
He added that as a politician, he had every right to criticise policies that went against national interests, integrity, and democracy. “We are answerable to the people of KP, not the DG ISPR,” Imran stated. “We will never act against the interests of Pakistan or the province.”
Rejecting any notion of hostility towards the armed forces, Imran said, “The army is mine, the country is mine, and the people are mine,” noting that many of his relatives served in the military.
Imran reiterated that military operations alone could not eliminate terrorism, arguing that innocent people often became collateral damage and were displaced from their homes.
“Decades of military action have failed to uproot this menace. A political and comprehensive strategy is needed, developed with the consultation of all stakeholders, including tribal leaders, the KP and federal governments, and the Afghan authorities,” he asserted.
The PTI founder directed the new KP government to engage relevant parties and devise a long-term, effective plan to ensure peace. His statement followed an unprovoked attack by Afghan Taliban forces on Pakistani border posts, which led to the martyrdom of 23 Pakistani troops. Islamabad’s response reportedly killed more than 200 Taliban fighters.
Afghanistan claimed the attack was in retaliation to alleged Pakistani airstrikes, which Islamabad has not confirmed, but insists Kabul must stop sheltering TTP militants. Fresh clashes were reported in KP’s Kurram district on Tuesday night.
