Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently imprisoned, has urged the government to send a peace delegation to Afghanistan to address rising security challenges, according to a message shared through his family.
Khan, who also heads the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, proposed that the delegation be led by Pashtun nationalist politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai. He said the talks should involve three parties: residents of Pakistan’s tribal areas, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan and the Afghan people.
“Without the support of these three sides, no successful operation or lasting solution can exist,” Khan said, according to an account posted on a social media page linked to him.
The former premier criticized ongoing military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, claiming they would only fuel terrorism. “When the police try to control this growing terrorism, governance and law and order will sink,” he said.
Khan also accused Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, of deliberately damaging ties with Kabul and pushing the country toward conflict. He alleged that Munir was seeking to appease anti-Taliban lobbies and present himself as a “savior” to the West.
He condemned Islamabad’s crackdown on Afghan refugees, saying Afghans who had lived in Pakistan for generations were expelled in violation of “religious, moral and international” rights. He added that military operations in the tribal belt under the pretext of fighting terrorism had worsened instability.
“These policies are killing Pakistanis everywhere — police, soldiers and innocent civilians,” Khan said. “Peace will never come this way. Lasting peace is always achieved through dialogue.”
Khan called for an urgent meeting of provincial and national lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the provincial chief minister to find solutions to local security problems and introduce measures to protect peace.
The Pakistani military and government have not responded to Khan’s latest statements.
