PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposed Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, maintaining that operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not be allowed ‘at any cost’, ARY News reported.
According to the details, the PTI held a high-level meeting in Islamabad to discuss the operation ” Operation Azm-e-Istehkam ” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Asad Qaiser, and other leaders attended the meeting.
PTI leader Iqbal Afridi said that the party has unanimously opposed the operation. He said that it was decided to put forward the matter before Jirga.
“This Jirga will decide whether the operation is to be carried out or not,” Iqbal Afridi added.
The sources said that Ali Amin Gandapur briefed the party members on operations against terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The participants expressed their opposition to the operation, stating that they would not accept any operation in the province.
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier in the day, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and Awami National Party (ANP) also opposed the Azm-e-Istehkam.
JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday termed the newly announced counterterrorism operation called Azm-e-Istehkam a ‘destabilising initiative’ that will further weaken Pakistan.
Read More: Pakistan launches ‘Operation Azm-e-Istehkam’ to eradicate terrorism
Addressing a press conference here, the senior politician said that this is not Operation Azm-e-Istehkam but rather operation “Adm-e-Istehkam”, which he believes will make Pakistan even more weaken.
Fazlur Rehman stressed the equality of all citizens under the same national identity, asserting, “Our history is about fighting against slavery. Did we achieve Pakistan to be the slaves?”
Separately, in a statement, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan voiced opposition to the military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), saying that the party has reservations and questions about the operation.
Asfandyar Wali Khan said that the ANP has sacrificed more than anyone else in the fight against terrorism, but they cannot support the operation due to their concerns. He emphasised that a national action plan should be implemented before launching any operation.
The PTI’s decision ‘came after the meeting of the Central Apex Committee of National Action Plan, which was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The prime minister approved a reinvigorated and re-energised national counterterrorism campaign through the launching of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, with the consensus of all stakeholders including the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, symbolising the national resolve to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement issued after the meeting.
