Demands cannot be forced by holding state hostage: Sanaullah

Prime minister’s adviser on political affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that the government’s doors remain open for dialogue with the opposition, but made it clear that no political demands can be forced by holding the state hostage.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of pursuing a policy of political instability by holding a march on the federal capital using the resources of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He said political differences could only be resolved through negotiations, adding that the government had repeatedly urged the PTI to prioritise the national interest over personal agendas and return to the negotiating table.

Referring to PTI’s previous protests, Sanaullah said that political instability had continued since the PTI’s 2014 sit-in in Islamabad and accused the party of again attempting to besiege the capital.

He claimed the PTI had managed to gather only a few thousand people for its march since October 4.

Rana Sanaullah said the law did not allow anyone to paralyse state affairs for political purposes.

Referring to the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sanaullah said intelligence-based operations against militants would continue.

He criticised the provincial government for focusing on the march to Islamabad while police, security personnel and civilians continued to lose their lives in incidents of terrorism.

He alleged that the PTI had promoted intolerance, abusive rhetoric and hatred since emerging as a political force, saying the trend of addressing political opponents in an insulting manner had increased since 2014.

On the Afghanistan issue, Sanaullah said that Pakistan had been urging the Afghan authorities not to allow their territory to be used against Pakistan.

He claimed that the entire Pakistani nation was united behind the government’s Afghanistan policy, with the PTI being the only force that did not agree with it.