Let’s be brutally honest about the narrative on national security being peddled by Imran Khan and his supporters. It’s not just flawed; it’s a dangerous concoction of historical amnesia, populist rhetoric, and a baffling disregard for the lives of Pakistanis. It’s a fantasy that, if pursued, would lead the nation down a path of self-destruction.
At the heart of this narrative is the perennially failed idea of negotiating with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). We are told, once again, that dialogue is the only way forward. This is not a strategy; it is a symptom of insanity, defined as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. Every single “peace deal” in our history with these butchers has ended the same way: with the TTP using the breathing room to regroup, rearm, and unleash fresh waves of terror on our people and our soldiers. To advocate for talks now is to spit on the graves of the thousands they have murdered.
Then there’s the tired, populist trope that any call for military action is a foreign-dictated conspiracy. This is a gross insult to our intelligence and a disservice to our armed forces. The TTP is not some international bogeyman created to serve American interests. It is a homegrown cancer that has metastasized on our soil, responsible for over 95% of the casualties in our long and bloody war on terror. We don’t need a foreign power to tell us to fight them. We need to fight them to protect ourselves, our children, and the very soul of our nation. This isn’t about appeasing Washington; it’s about securing Pakistan.
The naivete—or deliberate blindness—regarding Afghanistan is perhaps the most bewildering part of this flawed vision. The idea of Afghanistan as a “brotherly Muslim country” that will help us rein in the TTP is a complete fiction. It is an open secret that the Afghan Taliban are hosting TTP camps and commanders. They are providing sanctuary, and from this sanctuary, attacks are planned and executed against Pakistan. This isn’t brotherhood; it is a hostile state actively undermining our security. Let’s not forget, no Afghan government has ever recognized the Durand Line. They lay claim to half of our territory, a fact conveniently ignored by those who preach endless deference to Kabul.
The facts since 2021 are stark and chilling. With the Taliban’s return to power and the end of major Pakistani military operations in 2017, terrorism has skyrocketed. The bodies are piling up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in Balochistan, and beyond. What is the grand strategy in the face of this onslaught? To sit and wait? To offer more concessions? This inaction is not a policy; it is a death wish.
We are also introduced to the bizarre lexicon of an “Anti-Taliban lobby.” What does this even mean? That if you oppose a terrorist group that has slaughtered tens of thousands of your countrymen, you are part of a nefarious lobby? Is the logical conclusion, then, that one should be “pro-Taliban”? This is the kind of distorted, morally bankrupt logic that has paralyzed our national security discourse. It’s a classic tactic: invent a conspiracy to silence legitimate criticism.
And what of the Afghan refugees? To even suggest that this issue has a national security dimension is to be branded a warmonger. Yet, we see a significant number of refugees who openly support a “Greater Afghanistan” and refuse to acknowledge Pakistan’s sovereignty. While a mass, inhumane deportation is not the answer, can we not admit that there is a serious problem? That a population refusing to integrate and harboring revisionist territorial ambitions is a ticking time bomb? Acknowledging this risk isn’t prejudice; it’s basic security prudence.
Imran Khan’s entire narrative on this issue is built on a foundation of misleading claims and outright falsehoods. National security, the most sacred responsibility of the state, has been disgracefully turned into a political football. Where PMLN and PPP once weaponized it against each other, PTI has now perfected the art of twisting it for political gain, regardless of the consequences.
Being “soft” on the TTP, opposing military action against those who murder our citizens, and placing blind faith in a hostile Afghan regime is not an “independent foreign policy.” It is a blueprint for national suicide. It’s time for a reality check. The enemy is at the gates, and they are not interested in talks. They are interested in our blood. Any narrative that pretends otherwise is not just wrong—it’s a betrayal.
