Imran Khan ‘convinced’ Kayani on phased pullout troop from FATA

Imran Khan ‘convinced’ Kayani on phased pullout from FATA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  chairman Imran Khan reportedly convinced army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to administer a ‘phased withdrawal’ of troops from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas by initiating peace talks with militants, according to party officials.

“Sending military to tribal areas was a big mistake,” a senior PTI leader quoted him as saying to General Kayani prior to the All Parties Conference (APC) held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat on Monday. “Having negotiations and fighting terrorism side by side is not a wise move.”

General Kayani, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt General Zaheerul Islam stated that the military top brass agreed a ‘phased withdrawal’ of troops from Fata, said the PTI official.

During the meeting, he also conveyed his concerns to the ISI DG over militants’ attacks on jails in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, in his meeting with Prime Minister Sharif, the PTI chairman discussed matters relating to the security situation in Balochistan, Karachi and the tribal areas. “‘Give peace a chance’ should be the guiding central principle of the present government,” Khan was quoted as telling Premier Sharif.

A clear and loud message should be sent to Washington to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty by ending its drone campaign in the tribal areas, Khan put up his demand before the APC.

He raised other points at the multi-party forum in which he asked the government to quit the US-led war on terror, commence the dialogue process and start truth and reconciliation efforts for promoting peace in the country.

He urged the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government to take up the issue of drone strikes at the United Nations on a ‘now or never’ basis. “This will be a step in the right direction of proving that Pakistan is an independent state.”

The PTI chairman expressed his satisfaction over his meeting with General Kayani and Prime Minister Sharif, reads a statement issued by the PTI office. Khan termed the passage of a unanimous resolution at the APC “a beginning towards extricating the country from war on terror and moving towards a national holistic policy on counter terrorism”. It is a good start towards getting Pakistan out of the debilitating US war on terror, he added.

He hoped that now a comprehensive counter-terrorism policy and strategy would be swiftly drawn up and a dedicated institutional structure would be established to implement them. Needless to say, the APC was convened to do just that.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2013.

Gen. Kayani assures Imran of phased troop withdrawal from tribal areas

Our Correspondent / 11 September 2013

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan reportedly convinced army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to administer a ‘phased withdrawal’ of troops from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas by initiating peace talks with militants.

“Sending military to tribal areas was a big mistake,” a senior PTI leader quoted him as saying to General Kayani prior to the All Parties Conference (APC) on Monday. “Having negotiations and fighting terrorism side by side is not a wise move.” Former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf sent over 100,000 Pakistani troops to otherwise peaceful Fata on US bidding who believed that the Al Qaeda and Taleban militants had built sanctuaries there to launch attacks inside Afghanistan. The decision proved disastrous for Pakistan as it triggered a civil strife in the tribal area and brought terrorism and suicide bombers across the country.

Imran held a special session with Gen. Kayani, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt General Zaheerul Islam prior to the all-party (APC) in a bid to assess real intentions of the civil government and the army on dialogue and other issues in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

He was given to understand that the military top brass agreed to a ‘phased withdrawal’ of troops from Fata, said the PTI official.

During the meeting, he also conveyed his concerns to the ISI chief over militants attacks on jails in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, in his meeting with Sharif, the PTI chief discussed matters relating to the security in Balochistan, Karachi and the tribal areas. “‘Give peace a chance’ should be the guiding central principle of the present government,” Khan was quoted as telling Sharif. -news@khaleejtimes.com