Military, civilian leadership has put full stop on Khan’s appeasement policy on terrorists: Bilawal

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that negotiating with those people who don’t accept Pakistan and its constitution is not in favour of the country or it’s people.

In an interview with German broadcaster DW Urdu, the foreign minister said that the previous government was asking the interim Afghan government to facilitate reconciliation with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and had plans to resettle the militants in Pakistan.

“یہ افسوس کی بات ہے کہ اتنی قربانیوں اور جدوجہد کے باوجود کچھ غلط پالیسیوں کی بدولت ہمیں ایک بار پھر دہشتگردی کا سامنا کرنا پڑ رہا ہے لیکن ہم نے پہلے بھی ٹی ٹی پی کو شکست دی تھی اور ایک بار پھر ہم انہیں شکست دیں گے۔”
وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری @BBhuttoZardari
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— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) February 20, 2023

“Every Pakistani was saying that terrorists who were involved in heinous attacks such as the Army Public School massacre could never be our friends”, said Bilawal.

Earlier in an interview with CNBC, Bilawal said, “Unfortunately, following the fall of Kabul, the government that preceded ours started negotiating with these very same terrorist groups and without preconditions such as disarming.”

لائیو: چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی اور وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا سی این بی سی کو خصوصی انٹرویو https://t.co/nQ1V6Gecy7

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) February 20, 2023

The foreign minister said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government and military leadership have “put a full stop to the policy of appeasement”.

Citing the porous border with Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister said that the new government doesn’t have the capacity to man it.

“We are confident that we’ll be able to take on the terrorist groups that are functioning within Pakistan,” he said.

Discussing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Bilawal said that if he strives to pursue a democratic path and commits to play a constitutional role, he can have a future, adding that Khan’s ouster through a vote of no-confidence motion was the first time parliament removed a prime minister in a democratic way.

However, since his ouster, Khan has been asking the army for help in getting back to power, the foreign minister alleged.

 “If the military says it wants to change its controversial conduct constitutionally, it should be welcomed.”

While responding to a question regarding the statement about Pakistan’s bankruptcy made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Bilawal said: “He was talking in a political context at a political gathering and he was referring to the harsh economic times rather than speaking technically. He was talking in the overall context of the country.”