Govt wants to weaken PTI in name of negotiations: Sher Afzal Marwat

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat, while talking to ABN News’ program Debate @ 8, said that the government wants to weaken the PTI in the name of negotiations.

PTI will not achieve anything in negotiations without internal stability. The government is not serious, the offer of negotiations is just a trick. PTI’s collective strategy is unclear; there is a lack of unity.

Has the time for negotiations passed? Now, practical politics is needed. PTI needs to bring unity and order to the ranks. The call on August 5 did not get a sufficient public response. PTI must organize itself before going to the negotiation table.

Only powerful public pressure can force the government to negotiate. Political progress is not possible without a strategy of protest. The government wants to convince PTI of its conditions; negotiations are secondary.

He said that the decision on the operation in the areas of KP should be based on the ground realities, because if the operation is inevitable for the protection of the people and the stability of the area, it should not be delayed.

According to him, in the past, operations were large-scale, in which millions of people were displaced, but now terrorists mostly hide in the mountains and operations are limited to specific and limited areas. This is why today’s operations are different from the past.

Sher Afzal Marwat said that if there is a need for a major operation that affects entire districts and forces millions of people to migrate, then it should be discussed in parliament, and it is necessary to take public representatives into confidence.

He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has repeatedly emphasized that there will be no operation, while Imran Khan has also sent a message from prison that any major operation should be avoided.

According to Marwat, if the decisions of the operation are based on ground realities, then the provincial governments cannot stop them, but differences may arise over large-scale operations.

Sher Afzal Marwat mentioned former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during the conversation and said that various cases were filed against him, but he was not punished.

According to him, Qureshi can play an important role in PTI politics in the future, as he is a soft-spoken and conciliatory personality. He said that Qureshi can lead the party towards reconciliation along with a protest strategy.

He said that if Shah Mehmood Qureshi is released after two years of imprisonment, he can play an important role in getting the party out of trouble and negotiating with the state.

Speaking on the program, Marwat said that some people within the party object to his statements. He also rejected Aleema Khan’s allegation that he makes statements that harm the cause of PTI. According to Marwat, he does not make any statements against the interest of the party, nor does he need to.

He added that if the current PTI leadership believes that it can make the protest movement successful without any additional role, then he wishes them well. According to him, Imran Khan always considered protest politics as his greatest strength and wanted to take credit for it himself.

Sher Afzal Marwat said that now he wants to keep himself apart from the internal affairs of PTI; however, he believes that the party should adopt a conciliatory strategy along with protest capability so that a way out of the current crisis can be found.

When asked whether Mohsin Naqvi could be made the Prime Minister, former PTI leader Sherafazal Marwat said that Pakistan’s politics is currently revolving around the personal and family interests of the major parties.

According to him, if a new name is considered for the Prime Ministership in the future, the PPP and PML-N will first give preference to their candidates, because Asif Zardari wants to see Bilawal Bhutto as the Prime Minister, while Nawaz Sharif wants Maryam Nawaz to hold the post of Prime Minister.

Sherafazal Marwat said that even if an unexpected personality is brought forward, the question arises as to what argument will be given to the public in such a case, and what logic will the members of the Assembly have to justify this decision?

He said, “It does not seem practically possible to make anyone else the prime minister when there are big parties.” He said that even on the occasion of August 14, all the leadership united and gave a message of solidarity, which shows that despite differences, these parties are compelled to be on the same page.

Commenting on the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sherafazal Marwat said that some opposition parties claim that they can form their government there, and a forward bloc can also be formed.

“There is also an atmosphere against Ali Amin Gandapur.” Speaking on the recent Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill passed in the National Assembly, Sherafazal Marwat termed it as against civil liberties.

According to this law, any suspicious person can be kept in the custody of security forces for 90 days. I can never support such legislation. It directly contradicts human freedoms and the basic articles of the Constitution.

He said that Pakistan already has emergency laws that can be used if needed. This new law has paved the way for targeting political opponents. It is against human rights and democratic principles and contradicts Articles 9, 10, 14, 25, and 40 of the Constitution.

There was no need for this law, especially on August 13; there is no justification for passing it, said Sherafazal Marwat, adding that the purpose of anti-terrorism laws should be to speed up the trial of crimes that involve real terrorism, but this amendment has legalized unjustified arrest and prolonged detention, which is dangerous for democratic values.