The PTI on Sunday asserted that the main reason for the breakdown of talks with the Centre was the latter’s insistence on “unilateral” counter-terrorism measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
asserted
reason → assert → Pakhtunkhwa
The statement by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja comes less than a day after hours-long negotiations between an opposition delegation comprising the PTI and Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and a joint team of the government and PPP yielded no results.
asserted
negotiations → come → results
In a post on X, Raja wrote that the “primary reason for the failure of the talks around 3am this morning” was that the “PTI-TTAP team stood firm on its principled position that anti-terrorism actions in KPK would be based on agreement between the federal government and the KPK government”.
asserted
actions → write → government
He said the opposition want those actions to be “framed on the basis of consultation with, and the buy-in of, the different political parties represented” in the KP Assembly.
asserted
actions → say → Assembly
“This was not acceptable to the government team, that insisted that all actions unilaterally initiated by it would have to be owned by the provincial government,” Raja asserted.
asserted
Raja → insist → government
“The PTI-TTAP team was clear that we have zero tolerance for terrorism and are committed to rooting it out.
asserted
we → have → it
We also have a clear position against so-called collateral damage in the form of innocent lives and internal displacement of the local population.”
asserted
We → have → population
Raja noted that counterterrorism policies require support from the local population and ground intelligence.
asserted
policies → note → population
“The wisdom provided by the jirga held in the KP assembly of all the political and tribal notables of the province, including the merged districts, must be heeded.
asserted
wisdom → provide → districts
“This was not acceptable to the federal government,” he wrote.
asserted
he → write → government
In November last year, a peace jirga held at the KP Assembly, also attended by the governor, demanded that the Centre consult the KP government over Afghan policy.
asserted
Centre → hold → policy
Tarar accuses KP govt of ‘supporting’ terrorism
asserted
Tarar → accuse → terrorism
On the other hand, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar responded to Raja in a lengthy post on X, questioning why the KP government has not taken action against terrorism.
asserted
government → respond → terrorism
“It is only now, when your KP government is politically weak, [that] you have started responding to the federal government’s calls for [a] joint mechanism to fight terrorism, that too only as a strategy to save your political capital in KP,” the minister alleged.
asserted
minister → start → KP
“This is an old strategy of PTI, that when under pressure, they start talking of consultations and joint actions, but on [the] ground they do the exact opposite.”
asserted
they → start → opposite
Accusing the KP government of “double standards and hypocrisy”, Tarar contended that while it said it was taking steps to fight terrorism, its “narrative on terrorism is in favour of terrorists”.
asserted
narrative → accuse → terrorists
“KPK government’s policy only encourages and supports [the] spread of terrorism in the province,” the PML-N leader alleged.
asserted
leader → encourage → province
Tarar questioned why the KP government had not taken steps against terrorism or convened the provincial apex committee for meetings and why it had not condemned the “TTA regime for sponsoring terrorism inside Pakistan and conduct of cross-border attacks on the posts and drone attacks by them”.
asserted
it → question → them
“Why hasn’t the KPK Government not implemented NAP as per which clear action is required against illegal spectrum, illegal Afghan immigrants, measures for capacity enhancement of Police and [Counter-Terrorism Department]?” he added.
asserted
he → implement → Police
He asked why PTI leaders did not visit checkposts of security forces and police to express their support, and whether they had taken interest in the governance and development of esrtwhile Fata.
asserted
they → ask → Fata
The minister urged the PTI to “stop selling this false narrative of collective consultations, jirgas or any other method, as this means nothing on [the] ground other than delaying tactics”.
asserted
this → urge → tactics
Tarar reiterated his comments in a televised video statement, slamming the PTI for failing to abandon “double standards and hypocrisy”, which he said resulted in deadly terrorist attacks in KP.
“We were considering that they may go back on their word, and I had been saying it for the past two and a half weeks: if we are going to talk, then who should we talk to?
uncertain
we → reiterate → who
And if we talk, what guarantee do we have that they will honour their word?” the minister asked.
asserted
minister → talk → word
He accused the PTI of taking U-turns and “expressing pride in them”, as well as failing to maintain a steady stance on the issue of protecting the lives and property of KP’s residents.
asserted
He → accuse → residents
“Now different statements are emerging: Salman Akram Raja is saying one thing; [Adviser to KP Chief Minister on Information] Shafi Jan is saying that they want to change the policy on terrorism,” he added.
asserted
he → emerge → terrorism
Does it even exist?”
asserted
it → exist → ?
Tarar alleged: “The only policy you have is deliberately supporting terrorism.
asserted
you → allege → terrorism
Your policy is how you can elevate terrorists, how you can build a political terror-crime nexus and how you can spread terrorism across the province.
asserted
you → elevate → province
“I said earlier that you have to decide whether you stand with Pakistan or Afghanistan.
asserted
you → say → Pakistan
You take the benefits of Pakistan, but are in favour of Afghanistan.”
asserted
You → take → Afghanistan
“The policy change they are talking about is to give terrorists cover and protection,” Tarar further claimed.
asserted
Tarar → talk → cover
He said people of KP were being killed in terrorist incidents because KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi “wants to free one prisoner”.
asserted
Afridi → say → prisoner
“Lives have been wasted and people have been martyred because the province’s CM prioritises the release of one convicted prisoner,” he insisted.
asserted
he → waste → prisoner
“This is why I say they (PTI) are TTP’s (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) B-team and TTA’s (Afghan Taliban) C-team,” the PML-N leader alleged.
asserted
leader → say → ?
The minister further accused the KP government of having a “pro-terrorism mindset”, which he contended had contributed to a failure to prevent terrorist attacks and cross-border firing from Afghanistan.
asserted
he → accuse → Afghanistan
“Because their mindset is pro-terrorism, then they don’t care that security forces, armed forces, police, and thousands of officers and troops have been martyred,” Tarar claimed.
asserted
Tarar → care → officers
“They cannot even honour their martyrs …
asserted
They → honour → martyrs
They burned the Chagai monument in Peshawar.
asserted
They → burn → Peshawar
This is a terrorist mindset; can they stop terrorism with this mindset in govt?
asserted
they → stop → govt
No, they never will,” the minister asserted.
asserted
minister → assert → ?
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
