Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said on Saturday that negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were initiated on the insistence of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, distancing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from the controversial decision.
Speaking at a news conference alongside several party leaders, the opposition leader recalled the former army chief’s assertion that every issue could be resolved through dialogue. He revealed that the National Security Committee (NSC) had discussed the need for negotiations with the TTP.
“This was not the PTI’s decision,” he asserted. Ayub’s remarks came a day after Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry held the PTI government responsible for a resurgence in terrorism, alleging that decisions made during its tenure, including talks with the TTP, had jeopardised national security.
In a strongly-worded statement on Friday, the ISPR chief criticised the policies of the PTI-led government in 2021, accusing it of enabling the reintegration of terrorists.
Chaudhry had said that the entire nation, particularly the citizens of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was paying the price for the resettlement and rehabilitation of terrorists through talks initiated by the then government.
The military, he said, had broken the TTP’s back before these talks gave the group renewed strength. Referring to the TTP as “Fitna Al Khawarij,” the ISPR DG questioned, “Who provided the terrorists strength through dialogues and rehabilitation after their defeat?”
Ayub, defending his party on Saturday, alleged that the military’s narrative was misleading. Reiterating what he earlier posted on X (formerly Twitter), Ayub said that it was General Bajwa who advocated peace talks with the TTP during the NSC meeting in 2021, adding that leaders from all major political parties, including the PPP, PML-N and PTI, attended the meeting.
Criticising the ISPR’s stance in his post, Ayub accused the military spokesperson of recycling allegations. “It seems he was handed the same old script that has been rejected time and again,” he added.
