PTI and Other Leaders Oppose Operation Azm-e-Istehkam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has strongly opposed Operation Azm-e-Istehkam. PTI leaders, including Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and Asad Qaiser, met in Islamabad to discuss the operation’s implications. PTI leader Iqbal Afridi stated that the party decided to refer the matter to a Jirga, a traditional assembly of elders, for a final decision.

Ali Amin Gandapur reviewed past anti-terrorism efforts in the region, reinforcing PTI’s opposition to the operation. Other political leaders, such as Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and Asfandyar Wali Khan of the Awami National Party (ANP), also criticized the operation. Rehman called it destabilizing, while Khan emphasized the need for a comprehensive national action plan before any military action.

Despite the opposition, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a Central Apex Committee meeting, endorsed the operation as part of a national counterterrorism strategy. The committee, including representatives from provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, agreed on the operation to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country.