Shehbaz ready to invite all parties for counterterrorism consensus, Sanaullah tells Senate
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah told the Senate on Tuesday that the federal government is ready to invite all political parties to build a counterterrorism national consensus.
Speaking during the Senate session, the PML-N leader urged the opposition to set its other demands aside and stand united against terrorism. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was willing to call all parties to the table to work out a joint way forward.
“Even now, if all parties can agree to sit down to discuss this issue, then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is willing to invite them and find a way forward (on counterterrorism) or how operations can be supported by the entire nation,” Sanaullah said, Dawn reported.
Sanaullah criticises opposition leader over refusal to engage
Sanaullah directed criticism at Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai. He noted that Achakzai took the opposition leader’s office after the Speaker signed off on his appointment.
Yet, Sanaullah said, Achakzai does not accept the Speaker’s authority and has refused to meet the prime minister. He has even declined to sit with the prime minister in the Speaker’s chambers, Sanaullah told the house.
The adviser argued that a serious national issue such as terrorism demanded direct engagement between the treasury and the opposition, regardless of political differences.
Why a counterterrorism national consensus matters now
The call for unity comes as Pakistan faces a sharp rise in terrorist violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Law Minister Azam Tarar told parliament earlier this month, citing official data, that the province recorded 2,911 terrorism incidents between 2021 and 2024. The number climbed to 3,787 between October 15, 2025 and October 9, 2026, Business Recorder reported.
The Senate has already endorsed a resolution backing the emergency imposed in K-P, with the government arguing that the step targets terrorism rather than politics.
In the Senate, Sanaullah also mourned an army officer martyred a day earlier. He accused the opposition of running propaganda against the head of the institution and making what he called below-the-belt remarks.
Sanaullah has been pressing the same theme for weeks. Earlier this month, he said political issues could be resolved if the PTI agreed to play its constitutional role against terrorism, and he tied any reversal of direct rule in K-P to the party backing the counterterrorism effort. He separately linked the end of the K-P governor’s rule to PTI’s cooperation on counterterrorism.
Pakistan’s armed forces continue joint counter-terrorism training with partner countries, most recently concluding the Harimau Markhor-IV exercise with Malaysia.
FAQ
What did Rana Sanaullah propose in the Senate?
He said the federal government is ready to invite all political parties to build a counterterrorism national consensus, and asked the opposition to set its other demands aside and stand united against terrorism.
Who did Sanaullah criticise in his speech?
He criticised National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai for refusing to meet the prime minister or sit with him in the Speaker’s chambers, despite taking office after the Speaker approved his appointment.
Why is counterterrorism on the political agenda right now?
Terrorist incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have risen sharply, official data shared in parliament shows, and the government has imposed an emergency in the province to counter the threat.
