LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) always creates divisions on matters of national security and failed to demonstrate unity in the “war against terrorism”.

“The PTI skipped the National Security Parliamentary Committee meeting despite the fact that national security is not an issue of a single party but the entire nation,” Ms Aurangzeb told a presser here.

Criticising PTI supremo Imran Khan, she said that during the party’s tenure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa he failed to formulate an effective counter-terrorism strategy and instead used every terrorism incident for political mileage.

Since the PTI decided against attending the high-level security huddle, many PML-N leaders have been lashing out at the party for its “anti-state” decision.

The senior minister said KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur lacked independent decision-making power. “That is why a provincial security plan has yet to be formulated despite the KP being the province most affected by terrorism.”

Ms Aurangzeb reaffirmed that the current government was taking all necessary steps to eliminate terrorism and that all provinces must implement strict measures in accordance with the national security policy.

She recalled that the PML-N government played a leading role in the fight against terrorism from 2013 to 2018 and once again the Shehbaz Sharif government and military leadership would take a firm stand against terrorists.

She underscored that terrorists had no religion or ideology. “They (militants) are simply enemies of the state and must be dealt with firmly.”

The minister said the PTI had been disengaging itself from national issues and relying on “false narratives to mislead the public”. “These individuals [the PTI leaders] incite incidents like May 9, spread propaganda against security forces, but when it comes to national security and development, they always retreat.”

She added that whenever a terrorist attack occurs in the country, the PTI shifts the blame onto the government, while failing to build any infrastructure to combat terrorism in the KP.

Ms Aurangzeb urged the public to support the government and security forces in the fight against terrorism. “Pakistan’s security is our collective responsibility, and every citizen must play their role in preserving it.”

She also called upon the media to act responsibly, as it did in 2014, and to expose elements that strengthen terrorist narratives.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2025