PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Shaukat Yousafzai has rejected allegations linking his party to Talibanisation, saying PTI is a democratic force that has come to power through elections and is being unfairly maligned.
Speaking to a proivate TV channel program, Yousafzai said it was deeply hurtful for PTI leaders and workers to be labelled supporters of Talibanisation. He questioned whether decision-makers in Islamabad fully understood the nature of the operations they were proposing, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said the country was passing through difficult times and required serious, well-thought-out decisions. Yousafzai added that PTI’s issues with the federal government were not being resolved because, according to him, the centre itself lacked the authority to address them. He warned that the trust deficit between the federation and the provinces was widening.
Referring to remarks by Sohail Afridi, Yousafzai said that around 22 major military operations and nearly 14,000 small-scale operations had already been carried out in the past, yet terrorism had not been eliminated. “The question now is whether there is a flaw in the policy,” he said.
He recalled that an All Parties Conference (APC) was held in the provincial assembly, where a clear policy line against terrorism was outlined in its declaration. However, he said, the federal government had yet to respond to it. “If the centre believes force must be used at all costs, then it should say so clearly,” he added.
Yousafzai stressed that any action must be intelligence-based and carried out with the confidence of the provincial government, local population and all stakeholders. He questioned whether it was realistic to expect an entire district to be evacuated for an operation, warning that without public support, there would be a high risk of collateral damage.
He said PTI was equally grieved by the martyrdom of soldiers and emphasized the need to rebuild trust with local communities to ensure lasting peace.
The debate highlights growing political tensions over Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy and the widening gap between the federal government and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership on how to address militancy.
