Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has warned that political parties refusing to back the country’s anti-terrorism agenda will find themselves rendered “minus”, calling for complete national unity against militancy.
Speaking on Geo News’ morning programme Geo Pakistan on Friday, the PML-N senator said the elimination of terrorism was the federal government’s foremost priority, arguing that the lives of ordinary citizens could not improve until the menace was defeated. Any political party that did not stand with the security forces in the fight against terrorism, he added, would be politically sidelined.
The remarks were a direct response to a question about the long-term political future of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and whether the PTI would continue to play a role in the province or be considered politically “minus”. “Those who do not join the agenda to eliminate terrorism will be minus,” Sanaullah said, framing support for the anti-terror drive as the dividing line in Pakistan’s politics.
His comments came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a federal apex committee meeting in Peshawar to review the KP security situation — his first visit to the province since governor’s rule and an emergency were imposed on October 11. The high-level session was attended by Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, federal ministers and newly appointed provincial advisers, underscoring how seriously the federal government is treating the deteriorating law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
At that meeting, the prime minister had criticised the PTI over the worsening security situation in the province, recalling that the region had been a “cradle of peace” only a few years ago. He pledged that the federal government — currently administering KP under governor’s rule — would do everything possible to restore progress and stability. Sanaullah revealed that Governor Kundi had sought Rs160 billion in development and security funds, which the prime minister approved immediately.
On a separate question, the PM’s aide said there had been no discussions within the government regarding a proposed 28th constitutional amendment, adding that no draft had been presented or circulated. The clarification sought to put to rest speculation about fresh constitutional changes amid the ongoing political turmoil.
With governor’s rule in force in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and an intensified security push under way, the coming weeks are likely to keep the anti-terror agenda — and the political fault lines around it — at the very centre of Pakistan’s national debate.
