PTI urges PM to come clean on terrorist resettlement allegations

PESHAWAR: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan has called for the public release of critical National Security Committee meeting minutes to clarify the contentious issue of terrorist resettlement, squarely blaming the current Shahbaz Sharif government for decisions made during its tenure.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Khan urged the government to disclose records from both PTI’s 2021 deliberations and Shahbaz Sharif’s first term as prime minister to set the record straight and separate “milk from water.”

“If the settlement of terrorists has taken place, it happened during the tenure of the current government,” Khan declared, emphasizing that transparency is essential to reveal the truth.

He referenced a 2021 National Security Committee meeting under PTI founder Imran Khan, where discussions on potential negotiations with militants occurred but were stalled due to opposition from cabinet ministers.

Khan contrasted this with the Shahbaz Sharif government’s first National Security Committee meeting, where a decision to engage in talks with militants was allegedly formalized.

He pointed to a July 7, 2022, social media post by then-Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, which publicly acknowledged the decision to negotiate, as evidence of the current government’s policy.

“The minutes of Imran Khan’s 2021 meeting should be made public, as should the minutes of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security from Shahbaz Sharif’s first term,” Khan demanded.

The statement comes amid heightened political tensions, with PTI seeking to counter narratives that pin responsibility for security challenges on its past governance. Khan’s remarks appear aimed at both clarifying PTI’s stance and pressuring the incumbent government to address growing public scrutiny over its handling of militancy and national security.