Political parties in Pakistan criticize Imran Khan for favoring Taliban

Condemning Sunday’s bomb attack in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar in which over 40 people were killed, political leaders particularly criticised PTI chief Imran Khan for his recent statement on the Taliban, in which he declared the Taliban should be allowed to open its offices in Pakistan.

Moreover Khan condemned certain parties for using instability the score political gains.
 
Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari slammed the Taliban for targeting innocent civilians, calling the blast “most barbaric, inhuman and reflective of the depraved militants' mind." He called for “a collective national response to uproot the extremists from our midst”.

“The wages of appeasing the militants by asking for setting up their offices in the country are more than obvious and it is time that the nation and the state rise to give a befitting reply to them. Dithering and procrastination on our part will only further embolden the militants,” Zardari said in a statement issued by the PPP’s media center.
 
Zardari’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar, when contacted, regretted terrorist attacks had increased after the state “abdicated” its authority and declared the militants as “stakeholders” in the peace process.

He criticized the PTI chief’s statement regarding allowing the Taliban to open up offices, saying it amounted to equating “terrorists, murderers, rapists and dacoits with judges, lawyers and other segments of the society”.
 
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah noted in a statement, "it appears that terrorists are not interested in peace negotiations."
He further explained that Khan should re-evaluate its peace approach since it had so far led nowhere.
 
A former minister and leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said Khan should be held accountable for his failure to protect the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Jamiate Ulamaye Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman termed the killing of innocent people in the blast tragic, adding, "the enemies of peace could take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding talks with the Taliban."
 
Commenting on Khan’s statement citing an example of the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar, he noted the PTI chief should know the difference between Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. He insisted the opening a Taliban office is an “immature concept” and a “poorly conceived idea”.
 
Talking to media, JUI-F spokesman Jan Achakzai criticized the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for “not taking steps to protect its citizens” and failing to organize peace talks.

He said police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had not been given any guidelines by the new government about monitoring its entry and exit points or searching vehicles for explosives.

He alleged the government had removed a substantial number of checkpoints in the province, thus allowing the militants to move about freely.

The JUI-F spokesman said the federal government should play its role under the constitution should the provincial authorities fail to improve security in the region.