Imran Khan stresses political solution to militancy

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday stressed the need to find a political solution to the war against terrorism.
He condemned the attack on Malala, saying such acts could be justified under no condition and crticised the president and the prime minister for not coming up with a solution to the issue that posed a grave threat to Pakistan.
Speaking on a talk show on Geo TV, he said the military succeeded in its operations but the politicians failed to deliver, citing Swat as an example. “It was a very successful operation but the political vacuum remains intact. The current political situation in Swat is evidence that outright operations do not work,” said Khan.
He said a political solution should be given priority to counter all problems and talks should be held in this regard with those militants who accepted the constitution of Pakistan. “The Taliban are fighting as numerous factions, each for different goals,” he stressed. Khan said action could be taken against those who did not accept the constitution but believed that once sidelined following negotiations with local leaders, their number would automatically decrease.
Khan said it was essential to kill the conception that Pakistan was fighting America’s war, adding that the Afghans’ jihad against the US in their own homeland was justified. “Once it becomes clear that we are fighting for ourselves and not for the US, the scenario will be different,” claimed the PTI chief.
Khan said he stood against the ongoing military operations in Tribal Areas as well as the US drone strikes.
He said these tactics only helped in producing more terrorists rather than eliminating them. “Real success would have been achieved if the areas returned to normalcy immediately after the operations ended,” he added.
The PTI chief stressed that the military operations being carried out for the past eight years had failed and said a military option should be retained as part of a bigger political process instead.