Govt Rejects Pressure Tactics As PTI March Continues

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said the government cannot be forced into accepting political demands through pressure, disruption or what he described as efforts to hold the state hostage. His remarks came in Islamabad as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf continued its protest mobilisation and long march activity from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said the government remained open to dialogue but would not allow talks to become a tool for extracting demands under political pressure. He referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s earlier offer of negotiations and said the door for engagement had not been closed.

The federal adviser argued that negotiations must take place within constitutional and political limits, not through instability or attempts to paralyse the state. He said political culture had deteriorated into intolerance and personal attacks, adding that the country needed responsible conduct from all political actors.

Sanaullah also rejected the opposition’s claim that it had been excluded from decisions on counterterrorism policy. He said the existing security approach was already being implemented through intelligence-based operations and that these actions were producing results against militant networks.

He said there was no plan to launch a new military campaign that would displace citizens, insisting that ongoing intelligence-led operations would continue under the current counterterrorism framework. He also referred to earlier assurances from the military leadership that people would not be internally displaced because of these operations.

The remarks come as the long march led by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership remains a major point of tension between the federal government and the opposition party. The protest has been tied to demands involving jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, including access, medical treatment and political consultation.

Sanaullah also discussed Pakistan’s position on Afghanistan, saying Islamabad had been fair in asking the Afghan authorities not to allow their territory to be used for attacks inside Pakistan. He said Pakistan retained the right to neutralise threats that could later result in terrorism on its soil.

The adviser criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s response to rising terrorism, saying political priorities should not be placed above national interest. He argued that the province’s leadership was focusing on protest politics at a time when security personnel, civilians and children had been losing their lives in militant violence.

The confrontation now appears to be moving on two tracks: the government is signalling that talks remain possible, while also warning that pressure tactics will not work. The next development will depend on whether both sides agree to a practical channel for negotiations or allow the protest movement and counterterrorism dispute to deepen the political deadlock.