Barrister Usman Ali, Ph.D.
On September 27, while addressing a rally in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur once again declared:
“We do not want any operation in the war against terrorism under any circumstances; we only want negotiations with Afghanistan to establish peace in the province.”
This statement reflects Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long-standing position: rejecting military action against brutal terrorists and insisting solely on negotiations.
Since 2013, PTI has governed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A decade of uninterrupted rule should have been more than enough to design a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. Yet no clear policy ever emerged, no institutional reforms were carried out, and no roadmap was prepared. Whenever security forces launched an operation, PTI leaders condemned it as a “wrong decision.” But when asked for alternatives, they offered nothing. The result: militants reorganized, law enforcement officers and ordinary citizens continued to lose their lives, and the provincial government hid behind empty slogans.
This negligence is impossible to ignore. Daily attacks on police stations, checkpoints, and villages are increasing, leaving both security personnel and civilians dead. Militants are regaining strength openly, while the provincial government clings to its mantra of “talks only.”
There are numerous reports that PTI ministers and leaders regularly paid “protection money” to terrorists in order to save their own lives. If true, this is not only disgraceful but an outright betrayal of the people. Such actions empowered militant groups while leaving citizens more vulnerable. PTI’s apparent immunity from attacks is in itself a troubling question. Surely no one wishes the party to face the same violence as others, but the contradiction cannot be ignored. This is precisely why suspicions of PTI’s ties to militant groups persist.
This leniency is no accident. Imran Khan himself has often spoken with more sympathy for these groups than for the thousands of Pakistanis they have murdered. During his government, thousands of hardened fighters were allowed to return to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite their bloody record filled with attacks on mosques, schools, and markets. Today, those very militants are once again targeting innocent citizens. A policy of appeasement failed before, and it is failing again.
Pakistan, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has already sacrificed more than 70,000 lives. Innocent children were killed in classrooms, worshippers blown up in mosques, shoppers massacred in bazaars, and soldiers laid down their lives. To dismiss these sacrifices in the name of “negotiations” is an insult. The reality is simple: terrorists do not want peace; they thrive on chaos, exploiting every concession to regroup and strike again.
By contrast, military operations like Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad dismantled terrorist networks and brought relative peace for several years. These operations were costly, but effective. PTI, instead of building on these successes, reversed the gains by giving terrorists space under the banner of “talks.” The result is visible today: terrorism is once again surging in the province.
The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deserve more than hollow slogans. They want leaders who will stand with security forces, make bold decisions, and dismantle militant networks that hold entire communities hostage. But in ten years of power, PTI has shown no serious vision. Even now, it prefers to criticize others and shirk responsibility, while the public continues to bleed.
The time for excuses is over. Terrorism is again threatening Pakistan’s stability, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the worst hit. The public deserves answers: if PTI cannot secure its own province, how can it claim to protect the entire country?
If PTI has any genuine strategy, it must reveal it now. Otherwise, the people must accept the truth: PTI’s priority has never been public safety , only its own political survival. Pakistan cannot afford further ambiguity, especially when innocent lives are being lost daily.
It is true that the state and its institutions also made grave mistakes in the past, and they too have paid the price. Counterterrorism is never simple, but appeasement of militants has always proven disastrous. Now is the time to move forward together. Pakistan is advancing positively on many fronts, while terrorists , emboldened by external sponsors , seek to derail this progress. They must be defeated at all costs. And PTI must finally realize that the nation’s interest and the people’s security are far more important than the interests of any single individual.
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