ISLAMABAD (MNN); Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday strongly rejected allegations branding the party as “terrorist facilitators”, asserting that it has consistently maintained that terrorism must not be politicised.
The party’s position was outlined during a press conference in Islamabad by PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan, along with senior leaders Salman Akram Raja and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser.
Addressing the media, Gohar Ali Khan said PTI’s stance had always been clear that terrorism is a grave threat and eliminating it is a collective national responsibility. He stressed that there should be no political point-scoring on the issue and called for a single, unified national narrative against terrorism.
He said the party and its leadership had always condemned terrorism and rejected claims that PTI or its government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was uncooperative. In this regard, he pointed out that a grand jirga had been convened in the province to discuss the issue.
Gohar said terrorists have no religion, nationality or boundaries and indiscriminately target men, women, mosques and Eidgahs. He added that PTI condemns every terrorist attack without exception.
Terming it “inappropriate and dangerous”, he criticised questions suggesting why PTI had not been targeted by terrorists, saying that any terrorist attack anywhere in the country should be seen as an attack on the entire nation.
He said if terrorism required a serious and coordinated response, then social media campaigns and press conferences should not be used to level allegations. Instead, he urged that arguments be presented at relevant forums.
Highlighting steps taken by the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gohar said police capacity had been enhanced and Rs40 billion spent to strengthen law enforcement. He reiterated that protecting the lives and property of citizens remained the top priority of PTI, with no compromise on this principle.
He warned that repeated accusations and public targeting of PTI were widening divisions at a critical time for the country and should be avoided. He expressed hope that such press conferences would not be needed in the future, either by PTI or against it.
Salman Akram Raja, speaking on the occasion, also described the allegations as unfortunate and categorically rejected the notion that Imran Khan or PTI were sympathetic to terrorists. He said only a foolish person could sympathise with terrorism.
On the issue of military operations, Raja said PTI stood with the people of Pakistan but could not support the displacement or killing of innocent civilians. He added that the party had always offered cooperation in formulating counter-terrorism strategies.
Recalling a peace jirga held by PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Raja said political parties, scholars and intellectuals from across the province had unanimously agreed that the existing counter-terrorism policy was flawed. He reiterated that bombs and explosives could not create conditions for peace.
Raja said the state’s priority should be to bridge the trust deficit between the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and state institutions, adding that PTI was uniquely positioned to help narrow this gap and bring people and institutions together for a national cause.
He stressed that dialogue was essential, warning that unless the gap was addressed, instability would persist. In this context, he said the representative party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could not be sidelined in decisions related to counter-terrorism policy.
Raja also maintained that no negotiations on terrorism or any other national issue could take place while Imran Khan remained excluded.
The PTI press conference followed a recent wide-ranging briefing by the military’s spokesperson, who accused a political party that was in power in 2021 — an apparent reference to PTI — of internally facilitating terrorists.
