Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah rejected the idea of the government being pressured through protests, arguing that negotiations with the opposition cannot be used to force political concessions or create instability.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday, Sanaullah maintained that the government remained willing to hold talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but negotiations cannot be pursued as a means of pressuring the state.
“Doors for talks are open,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for the PTI leadership to abandon its planned protests and return to negotiations.
Sanaullah dismissed PTI claims that it was being excluded from counterterrorism decisions, describing the position as “completely wrong” and “misleading”.
He pointed to Pakistan’s existing counterterrorism policy, which is being implemented through Intelligence-Based Operations (IBOs), targeted security operations based on intelligence about suspected terrorists.
“The policy on countering terrorism is already being acted upon,” Sanaullah noted, claiming the operations were being conducted daily with “huge success”. He also alleged that PTI opposed the IBOs.
The adviser rejected claims that the government is preparing new military operations that will result in large-scale displacement, stressing that existing IBOs will continue under the current counterterrorism policy.
Sanaullah also referred to Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir’s earlier clarification that the operations will not cause internal displacement.
On Pakistan’s tensions with Afghanistan, Sanaullah defended Islamabad’s demand that Afghan territory not be used for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
He claimed Afghan authorities had accepted evidence presented by Pakistan during several rounds of talks but had declined to guarantee that their territory will not be used for attacks.
“Pakistan’s policy is that it has the right to neutralise training camps or any activity on Afghan land that could cause terrorism in Pakistan later on,” he added.
Sanaullah criticised PTI and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government over previous protests, including demonstrations in Islamabad in 2022 and 2024.
He also criticised the provincial government’s response to recent terrorism, describing it as unacceptable to pursue political activity while “martyrs’ bodies were lying there”.
“Prioritising personal and political agendas over national interest is not permissible by law, the Constitution or political ethics,” he remarked.
