Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has strongly criticised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for not attending the funeral prayers of 12 army personnel martyred in a counter-terrorism operation in South Waziristan.

Taking to social media platform X, the minister directly questioned PTI’s alignment in the national fight against militancy.

PM and Army Chief Lead Funeral Prayers

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and senior civil and military officials attended the funeral prayers, offering tribute to the fallen soldiers.

Speaking at the gathering, the Prime Minister underlined Pakistan’s firm position on cross-border militancy.

“Terrorists are coming from Afghanistan, and we have made it clear to Kabul: it must choose between Pakistan and the terrorists,” Sharif said.

He vowed that Pakistan’s response to terrorism would remain “clear and uncompromising.”

High-Level Security Meeting in Bannu

The Prime Minister and the Army Chief also visited Bannu, where they chaired a top-level meeting on counter-terrorism. According to security sources, they were briefed in detail by the Corps Commander Peshawar on the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Prime Minister stressed that the state would not hesitate to take administrative and legal measures necessary for strengthening Pakistan’s counter-terrorism response.

“There will be no ambiguity in our resolve. Those facilitating foreign-backed proxies will be treated as collaborators, and they will face the response they deserve,” Sharif warned.

Afghan Dimension

Officials said Afghan nationals were directly involved in the latest terror incidents, with many crossing illegally into Pakistan.

Sharif reiterated the urgency of repatriating undocumented Afghan residents, describing it as “critical for national security.”

“The masterminds of terrorism and their facilitators are in Afghanistan, supported by India. Pakistan has conveyed this reality clearly,” he added.

Political Divide

The absence of KP’s provincial leadership at the funerals has added a political layer to an already tense security crisis. Khawaja Asif’s remarks have ignited debate on whether PTI is distancing itself from the state’s anti-terror narrative at a time when the government is pressing for unity.

Sharif emphasised that Pakistan’s people, particularly the citizens of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stood firmly with the state and the armed forces “like a wall of steel” against what he described as “India’s terror proxies.”