PTI to join national consensus on terrorism

ISLAMABAD: The in-camera meeting of parliamentary leaders on terrorism today (Tuesday) presents a crucial opportunity for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to move beyond confrontation and contribute to national unity.

A senior PTI leader, who will be among the party’s representatives attending the meeting, told The News that PTI intends to align with the national consensus on counterterrorism.

“We want to be seen as part of the nation’s united stance against terrorism,” the leader said, adding that moderate voices within the party successfully convinced the leadership to participate in the crucial meeting.

Some elements within PTI initially insisted on seeking imprisoned party founder Imran Khan’s approval before attending. However, their stance was overruled, as it risked being perceived as an attempt to dodge the meeting on an issue of immense national importance.

The PTI leader acknowledged that the party must overcome its image of being overly confrontational and use this opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with the nation against terrorism — without any preconditions.

He said that PTI leaders may still highlight grievances regarding alleged injustices faced by the party and their broader implications.

In a significant internal development, PTI’s political committee recently took a more pragmatic approach, sidelining hawkish elements for the first time. As reported by this newspaper, the political committee decided to monitor and regulate the party’s social media presence, acknowledging concerns over irresponsible content on official platforms.

A delegation of party leaders is set to meet Imran Khan to propose the formation of a committee to oversee PTI’s official social media activity, ensuring a more disciplined and strategic online presence.