PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central secretary information Sheikh Waqas Akram said here on Monday that his party and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government were not in favour of launching any military operation in the province without the consent of the people.

“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and PTI as a party have been very clear on it that they will not own any military operation if launched without public support,” he said while responding to a question during a press conference.

Clarifying his party and its provincial government stance, Mr Akram said that if situation had deteriorated to an extent that needed military operation then the matter should be brought to parliament and discussed in detail on the floor of assembly.

There should be open discussion on the military operation, he said. He said that any military operation having support of people had fruitful results and good impact.

Says matter should be discussed in parliament

“We think if any such step (operation) has been planned by the authorities at the helm of affairs then it should be discussed with public representatives,” he added.

Regarding their proposed protest after Eidul Fitr, he said that they were in consultation with all the opposition parties for shaping up a grand opposition alliance. He said that their efforts in that connection were clear to all.

The PTI delegation has recently met with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami and Grand Democratic Alliance with the sole agenda to unite all the opposition parties for launching the protest movement.

“If all the opposition voices in the country get united against the ‘fascism’ then it would be more fruitful,” said Mr Akram. He said that if the opposition parties didn’t unite for their protest then PTI had the right to launch a peaceful protest.

About PTI’s meetings with JUI-F for joint the protest, he said that positive developments had been observed in such meetings and talks were in right direction.

In such meetings, he said, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl Rehman showed some concerns, which could be addressed.

He said that a ban was imposed on meetings with PTI incarcerated leader Imran Khan, so when they met with him such concerns would definitely be addressed with his directions.

Mr Akram came down hard on ‘institutions’ for raiding the homes of PTI activists and social media team members. He said that Hadir Saeed, who was not official member of PTI social media team rather a volunteer, was picked up by law enforcement agencies during a raid on his home.

He said that Mr Saeed had been in custody for the last few days and had not been produced before any court of law. He said that parents of Mr Saeed were perturbed as they visited many police stations to see their son, but in vain.

He said that other members of PTI social media team including Qadeer Amjid, Saeed Tariq, Farhan Chushti and Usman had also been picked up. “They are in the custody of law enforcement agencies,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2025