Imran offers to resolve issues with Afghanistan if released on parole

ISLAMABAD: Naureen Khan Niazi, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan, said on Wednesday that her brother had offered to help resolve issues with Afghanistan to achieve peace, if released on parole.

She conveyed Imran’s message to the media in Rawalpindi after meeting with him at Adiala Jail, a conversation that was also uploaded on PTI’s official ‘X’ account. She quoted the party supremo as telling her that it was the job of politicians to achieve peace and that he had offered to play his part in the endeavour if he was released on parole. “They should think because the conditions of Pakistan have become such that three million people have been forced to leave the country, multi-national companies are leaving the country, and there is no foreign investment in Pakistan. He (Imran) says there is a need for peace and that only comes with political stability,” she said.

Naureen said that her brother emphasized that dictators could not bring about peace in the wake of what is happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as it is the job of politicians.

She pointed out that Imran was pained by the way Afghans, who had seen three generations grow up in Pakistan, were sent back to their country. “Obviously, they felt bad about our country and can’t feel any sympathy for us after having been pushed back in such a manner,” she explained.

Later, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, during a chat with the media, also echoed Naureen’s remarks regarding Imran’s offer to help settle issues with Afghanistan for the sake of peace. Imran’s message was also posted on his ‘X’ account, in which he emphasised that all relevant stakeholders should be taken on board when formulating a policy against terrorism, “be it local tribes in the province, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the federal government, or the Afghan government.”

“The issue of terrorism cannot be solved without dialogue with the Afghan government,” the message said. He directed the new KP government to talk to relevant stakeholders and formulate an effective and comprehensive strategy against terrorism to ensure long-term peace in the province.