We Have Nothing to Do with Faisal Vawda’s Remarks: Rana Sanaullah
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser and senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah has said the government has nothing to do with the remarks made by Senator Faisal Vawda, adding that the primary objective of imposing an emergency is to completely eliminate terrorism from the country.
Speaking about the emergency and the prevailing political situation, Sanaullah said the measure could remain in place for a year or even until 2029 if necessary to achieve its stated objective. However, he maintained that Parliament could end the emergency whenever it considered appropriate once the objective had been achieved, stressing that no such measure could remain in force indefinitely.
“We have nothing to do with Faisal Vawda’s remarks,” he said.
Sanaullah argued that if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had stood firmly with the country against terrorism, the government might not have been compelled to take such a stringent step.
He described the fight against terrorism as a battle for Pakistan’s survival, saying the threat was no longer the same form of terrorism the country had faced over the past four decades.
Referring to the recent “Battle of Haq,” he claimed that Pakistan’s adversaries had realised they could not engage the country in an open international war and were therefore seeking to undermine it through various proxy groups.
He said the country’s political and military leadership had consequently reached a consensus to eliminate terrorism with full force.
The PML-N leader alleged that proscribed organisations and certain PTI elements were involved in extortion and drug trafficking. He also criticised individuals whom he accused of taking refuge with Pakistan’s enemies, saying no positive outcome could be expected from them.
Rana Sanaullah alleges Murad Saeed obstructed negotiations
Discussing previous negotiations between the government and PTI, Sanaullah said the government’s negotiating representatives were highly experienced senior figures who fully understood the issues involved.
However, he claimed that whenever the negotiating team spoke to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Afridi would seek instructions from someone else behind the scenes.
Sanaullah alleged that former PTI leader Murad Saeed was influencing the process and preventing the negotiations from succeeding. According to him, Saeed held what he described as an unrealistic belief that he could travel to Islamabad and create widespread disruption.
These remarks were made by Sanaullah as part of his account of why the earlier negotiations had failed.
He further assured that development and public welfare projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would continue as usual despite the imposition of the emergency, adding that administrative and development activities would proceed alongside the security measures.
