Tirah incident: IK urges govt to engage with Afghanistan for regional peace

RAWALPINDI: Expressing sorrow over the recent loss of life in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, on Wednesday, called on the government to engage with the Afghan government and build trust with the people of both nations to achieve lasting peace in the region.

Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail following proceedings in the Toshakhana-II case against Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan conveyed his concerns. She said the PTI founding chairman was deeply grieved by the recent incident in Tirah.

“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was trapped into launching this operation,” she quoted Khan as saying, adding that he believes military actions only worsen terrorism instead of curbing it.

“The PTI founding chairman said that during our government, we engaged in dialogue with Afghanistan and established peace. Instead of confrontation, the government should have gone to Afghanistan for negotiations,” she further said.

She said that from day one, Khan has been asked to leave the country. However, she stated, Khan has firmly maintained that he will face all the cases against him.

About the Toshakhana case, she said that during the trial, one of the witnesses was proven to be false. She quoted the founder as saying that the punishments and verdicts against him had already been pre-written.

Earlier, Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand hearing Toshakhana II case against former Prime Minister and PTI founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi at a makeshift court at Adiala Jail, adjourned the case till Thursday (today) after the defence counsel conducted partial cross-examination of two witnesses.

During the proceedings, defence lawyer Arshad Tabrez conducted cross-examination of NAB officer and prosecution witness, Mohsin Haroon, and is expected to complete it during the next hearing.

During the hearing, jail authorities produced Khan and Bushra Bibi before the court. PTI counsels Quasian Mufti, Arshad Tabrez, Zahoor Chaudhry, and Usman Gul, as well as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecution team comprising Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi and Umair Majid, appeared before the court.

Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, DrUzma Khan, and Noreen Khanam Niazi also attended the hearing. PTI leaders, including Senator Ali Zafar, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, and Mishal Yousafzai, also attended the hearing.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025