PTI Leaders Call for Fresh Elections Amid Rising Instability

Five senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), currently incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat Jail, have issued a call for fresh, transparent general elections, according to a report by Dawn. In an open letter made public on Saturday, notable PTI figures including Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Yasmin Rashid, and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed expressed concerns about the escalating terrorism and instability in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

The PTI leaders emphasized the strategic geological importance of these provinces, noting their rich natural and mineral reserves that attract international interest. They remarked on the significance of rare earth materials that are increasingly important globally. While acknowledging Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's peaceful past under the PTI administration, they highlighted its persistent role as a terrorism hub both before and after Imran Khan's government, a situation they described as economically and socially devastating for Pakistan.

Further, the letter pointed to strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past three years, despite Russia's recognition of the Taliban-led government in Pakistan. The senior PTI leaders remarked, 'The Afghan nation, once considering Pakistan a second home, now reflects dissatisfaction and opposition towards Pakistan.' The leaders also criticized the federal government's lack of cooperation with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, challenging the rationale of avoiding dialogue.

The letter highlighted Balochistan's status as a hotbed for anti-state elements amid a fragile law and order situation, underscoring an uptick in terror incidents over the past fortnight. The leaders lamented the federal and Balochistan governments' lack of awareness regarding the severity of the circumstances, accusing them of exacerbating disorder through power tactics and arrests of local leaders, rather than effectively combating terrorism.

The PTI figures further charged that the Balochistan government operates as a 'fake mandated Form-47 government,' aggravating, rather than resolving, provincial challenges, according to reports by ANI.

(With inputs from agencies.)