LAHORE – The PTI had reached an understanding with the security quarters that the party would not take its peace and anti-drone march into the South Waziristan Agency (SWA) owing to serious security concerns, TheNation reliably learnt on Thursday.
Highly-placed sources in the federal capital confided to this scribe that the top leadership of PTI had reached an understanding with the concerned security quarters – and that too just one day before the actual event – for getting the desired results of the peace march without entering the SWA.
While some of the close aides of PTI chief Imran Khan confirmed the understanding between the two sides, others believed that there was no point in endangering the life of so many people when the purpose of the peace march had been served without entering the SWA.
When asked about local tribesmen’s pledge to guard PTI peace marchers, they informed that the tribesmen had told them that they would not be able to protect the marchers beyond sunset. “The tribesmen had told us that they could provide security only in the daylight and the PTI marchers should reach Kotkai until 11:30 am and return not later than 01:00 pm,” they added.
According to the sources in Islamabad, a senior lieutenant of Imran Khan belonging to the newcomer group played a major role in the development of an understanding between the PTI chief and security quarters. Without naming the person, the sources said that this senior lieutenant convinced the PTI chief not to take the peace march into SWA when the purpose could be served at the tribal agency’s border.
The close associates of Imran Khan revealed that members of the security establishment were in direct contact with the PTI chief; however, he had taken the decision with the consent of some of the senior leaders belonging to South Punjab.
Ijaz Chaudhary, central senior vice president of the PTI, insisted that no secret deal or understanding was reached between his party and security quarters regarding the concluding point of the peace march. He added that there was no point in taking further the rally when it had already internationalised the issue of drone attacks at the border of the SWA.
“The peace marchers, including the international media and human rights organisations, have witnessed the destruction in the tribal region at the border of the SWA and this served the purpose of the rally without entering the tribal agency,” Ijaz said.
It is worth mentioning here that the PTI could succeed in getting a major foothold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal region in the upcoming general elections after the success of the peace march. Similarly, the Pushtoons who had migrated from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas to urban centres of Sindh and Punjab could also become a vote pocket for the PTI as a result of the party’s peace and anti-drone rally.