Imran Khan endorses Gandapur's call for KP-Kabul talks to curb terror

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan, the incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Friday voiced strong support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur's suggestion of starting direct talks with Afghanistan, deeming the engagement critical for dealing with terrorism and ensuring sustainable peace in the region.

“Ali Amin is absolutely right,” Imran Khan stated, backing Gandapur’s stance during a talk with the journalists at Adiala Jail. “They should beseeching him to go and talk to Afghanistan for the sake of God,” the former premier said adding, “Terrorism cannot be eliminated without dialogue.”

Khan expressed support for his stalwart a day after a scathing attack by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Gandapur for suggesting bypassing the Center and the ministries to hold talks with Kabul in a provincial capacity.

Calling it a direct attack on the federation, Asif, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Thursday, said that the provincial chief executive should have avoided such a statement.

When questioned about the possibility of a province directly engaging with another country when a federal government and the Foreign Office were already in place, Imran Khan said: “Forget the Foreign Office, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the most affected by terrorism.”

Turning his guns to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman, he remarked, “Bilawal [Bhutto], when he was the foreign minister, didn't even visit Afghanistan.”

Expressing grave concern over the heavy toll that terrorism has taken on the province, Khan noted, “So many policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have embraced martyrdom [fighting terror].”

Khan also highlighted the growing unrest among law enforcement personnel, claiming that officers across the country were “rebelling” and staging protests due to the dire situation. “We've been fighting terrorism for 24 years,” he said, stressing the urgency of making it the country's top priority. "If terrorism is not controlled, the economy will come to a stand still."

He heaped emphasis on the significance of improving ties with Afghanistan to prevent the country from remaining embroidered in terrorism, claiming, “The least terrorism happened during PTI’s rule.”

Khan urged the government to lend a hand to anyone attempting to eradicate the menace of terrorism.

“If someone is trying to end terrorism, cooperate with them,” he stated, dismissing the perception that Gandapur's intentions were anti-state. “Ali Amin is speaking in favor of the country, not against it.”

He reiterated the heavy losses Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had suffered, highlighting that "one thousand police officers have already been martyred" in the province.

Questioning the federal government's efforts, he remarked, "The federation itself admits that there is cross-border terrorism, so what has it done so far?"

Clarifying Gandapur's stance, the PTI founder pointed out, "Ali Amin spoke about going but didn't say he was leaving immediately, — he didn't even fix a time." Khan concluded his talk by saying, “What wrong has Ali Amin said?”

Addressing a Peshawar Bar Council Association event on Wednesday, Gandapur announced sending a provincial government delegation to Afghanistan to settle bilateral issues without waiting for the federal government's approval as his “province is bleeding” due to a surge in terrorist attacks.

Islamabad has time again called on the interim Afghanistan government to prevent its land from being used by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant organizations for carrying out attacks against Pakistan.

Citing the rise in terror incidents, the federal cabinet in June this year approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee's recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.

Additionally, the government had also introduced a major policy shift under a decision to stringently enforce international laws at its borders with Afghanistan earlier this year, to restrict the influx of militants and smuggled goods into the country.

Afghanistan does not recognize the Durand Line, the border between the two countries, arguing that it was created by the British to divide ethnic Pashtuns.

The 2,640km border was established in 1893 through an agreement between British-ruled India and Abdur Rahman Khan, then ruler of Afghanistan.

Both countries share 18 crossing points, with Torkham and Chaman being the most frequently used for trade and movement of people. These crossings also connect Balochistan to Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.

In 2017, Pakistan started fencing the border with Afghanistan to contain terrorist cross-border movement, a move condemned by Kabul.