Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said the government remains open to negotiations with PTI, provided the party does not impose any conditions, while insisting that the current administrative arrangement in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will not be dismantled.
Speaking exclusively to Express News at Parliament House on Wednesday, Sanaullah said the arrest of former K-P chief minister Sohail Afridi should be formally shown in cases registered against him in Islamabad, adding that he should now face the cases and seek bail.
He said the imposition of governor's rule and emergency in K-P had become inevitable, arguing that both measures were broadly similar but operated under different constitutional provisions.
Under Article 232 of the Constitution, he explained, the provincial assembly remains intact, whereas Article 234 allows its suspension, which cannot exceed six months. The government wants the new administrative arrangement in K-P to contribute to the province's development, he said, adding that its foremost priority was to eliminate terrorism.
"This is not the terrorism we witnessed in the past. Following Marka-e-Haq, India has established a presence in Afghanistan and is operating training camps there," he said, claiming that New Delhi was pursuing "Sindoor Phase Two". He warned that the threat could endanger Pakistan's existence if not taken seriously.
Sanaullah said the provincial government had repeatedly been asked to play its role in combating terrorism but had failed to do so, leaving the federal government with no option but to take the measure.
Responding to questions about Afridi's whereabouts, he said PTI leaders had been asking the government about him, who, according to the K-P governor, had been taken into protective custody along with some members of his cabinet. Mocking Afridi's earlier plan to bring two million people to Islamabad, Sanaullah remarked that the former chief minister might be busy gathering or counting people.
