- BNP raises concerns over Balochistan’s political and security issues.
- Opposition refuses to join National Security Committee discussions.
- TTAP calls for diplomatic talks with Afghanistan to ease tensions.
After skipping the high-level in-camera meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security, the multi-party opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), has announced plans to convene an all-parties conference (APC) on the country’s security and political situation after Eidul Fitr.
The decision was made during a leadership meeting of TTAP, held at the residence of the alliance’s head, Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
The meeting was attended by key opposition figures, including Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, National Assembly and Senate opposition leaders Umar Ayub and Shibli Faraz, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council head Hamid Raza, Balochistan National Party (BNP) senior vice president Sajid Tareen, and Sindh United Party president Sain Zain Shah.
During the meeting, the structural framework of TTAP was formally approved, and several subcommittees were established.
PTI’s Qaiser was appointed to oversee the coordination committee, SIC’s Raza was given charge of organisational affairs and political activities, while PTI’s Latif Khosa was entrusted with organising the post-Eid APC on national security and political stability.
Representatives from other opposition parties will also be included in this committee.
The meeting, a statement mentioned, also featured an in-depth discussion of the country’s current political landscape, with a particular focus on Balochistan’s issues.
BNP’s Tareen provided a detailed briefing, highlighting the widening gap between the Baloch people and the state. The meeting approved various proposals aimed at addressing these concerns.
The opposition alliance announced that the APC would invite all political parties except those currently in the government to discuss the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
TTAP leaders stressed that a sustainable solution to terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan could not be achieved through force alone. They also vowed to oppose any perceived injustices against Sindh’s people regarding the distribution of the Indus River’s water.
Furthermore, TTAP reaffirmed its decision to boycott the parliamentary National Security Committee, arguing that the “illegitimate government” was not serious about resolving the crisis.
The alliance criticised the exclusion of the leader — PTI founder Imran Khan — of the country’s largest political party from the committee’s discussions, calling it a sign of the government’s lack of sincerity.
Addressing regional diplomacy, TTAP underscored the need for dialogue in resolving tensions with Afghanistan. The alliance maintained that Afghanistan was a brotherly neighbour with deep historical and cultural ties to Pakistan.
TTAP leaders stressed that trade opportunities and access to Central Asian markets depended on stable Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
The opposition alliance warned against any deterioration in bilateral ties, stating that the region had already suffered the consequences of prolonged conflicts and could not afford another crisis.
‘Closed-door session’
The opposition’s meeting came a day after the in-camera NA security moot resolved to deal with the terrorist groups, with an “iron hand”.
The high-level national meeting was convened by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif amid rising incidents of terrorism in the country in general and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in particular.
The meeting was attended by PM Shehbaz, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Asim Malik, chief ministers of all four provinces, and other top officials.
However, several key figures including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members skipped the the high-level huddle.
The came against the backdrop of rising terrorism in Pakistan, including a major terrorist attack on a passenger train in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district in Balochistan.
Dozens of militants, affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), blew up a railway track and assaulted Jaffar Express on Tuesday, carrying more than 440 passengers — who were taken hostage.
The security forces, after a complex clearance operation, neutralised 33 attackers and rescued the hostage passengers.
Apart from five operational casualties, as many as 26 passengers were martyred by the terrorists, of which 18 were security personnel belonging to the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps (FC), three were officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments, and five were civilians.
