Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to choose between Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying the party must clarify where it stands amid deadly terror attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Addressing a press conference alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry in Islamabad, Tarar said the PTI-led provincial government refuses to take ownership of counterterrorism operations or take effective steps against terrorism.
The minister did not hold back in his criticism, claiming that the PTI has served as a “B-team of the TTP” and facilitated terrorists over the past 12 years. “I have been saying for years that they are a B-team of the TTP. I am justified in saying that because they facilitated the terrorists in the last 12 years,” he said. He argued that sufficient time had passed for the party to bring about meaningful change in the province, adding that “12 and a half years are enough” to transform conditions in any province.
Tarar accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of failing to address terrorism and provide basic services, saying people in the province were being forced to turn to other provinces for basic facilities. He also claimed that the federal government had offered modern vehicles for the provincial police force, but the offer was rejected. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is burning in the fire of terrorism,” he said, adding that the provincial leadership’s entire focus was on securing the release of a prisoner from jail rather than tackling the security crisis.
The press conference came amid ongoing terror attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that have left scores of civilians and security personnel martyred in recent days. Earlier this week, at least 13 people, including two women and a two-year-old child, were martyred when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into an anti-smuggling check post in the Darazanda area of Dera Ismail Khan. The martyred included Customs, Excise and Rescue officials as well as civilians, according to sources.
Last week, 22 people, including 16 police officials, were martyred and 103 others injured after explosions targeted a mosque inside Kohat Police Lines during Friday prayers. Along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, security forces foiled attempts by Afghan Taliban fighters to carry out attacks, killing several Taliban personnel in a retaliatory operation.
Meanwhile, Tarar said billions of rupees were provided annually to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award to fight terrorism. “Where have they spent the money received for counterterrorism?” he asked, alleging that the provincial government itself had spread terrorism and that no adequate measures had been taken to address it. He further maintained that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had failed politically after an administrative failure, adding that destruction and devastation had spread across the province.
At the beginning of the presser, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry questioned the provincial government’s approach to Afghanistan and counterterrorism efforts. “Why do you have a soft approach towards Afghanistan?” he asked. Chaudhry said that terrorism incidents “were not jihad” and alleged that those carrying out such attacks received dollars in return. “The facilitators of attacks are present across our eastern and western borders,” he said, adding that bulletproof vehicles were provided to provincial authorities but were returned. He also criticised changes introduced through a new police law, alleging that an attempt was made to take away the powers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.
The federal ministers’ remarks underscore the deepening political and security tensions between Islamabad and the PTI-led provincial government as terrorist violence continues to claim lives across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Source: Geo News