Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ikhtiar Wali Khan, has said that there is no restriction on political activities in the province, including public rallies and gatherings, but no one will be allowed to hold the state hostage or disrupt law and order.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Ikhtiar Wali said around 6,200 terrorism-related incidents had occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past two years, resulting in the deaths of nearly 12,000 people. He claimed that Afghan nationals had carried out 37 suicide attacks, while 14 such attacks had taken place in the province this year.
He said the police, particularly the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), were on the front line in the fight against terrorism and that their operations should not be portrayed as an attack on Pashtuns. He stressed that police personnel must be provided with the resources needed to effectively combat terrorism.
Ikhtiar Wali claimed that only 25 personnel were permanently posted in the CTD, while the remaining staff were working on a temporary basis. He said the department had only nine M4 rifles and 11 night-vision devices.
According to him, the inspector general of police had requested Rs42 billion for the CTD, but the provincial government approved only Rs14 billion. He added that despite 10 months having passed, only Rs1.4 billion of the approved amount had been released.
The PML-N leader questioned the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, saying it had been given an opportunity for the past 13 years to formulate and implement policies to address terrorism.
“The question is what has been done for the province during these 13 years,” he said.
Ikhtiar Wali said the federal government, armed forces and state institutions were concerned about the protection of the Pashtun population and that a uniform policy against terrorism was being implemented across the country.
He said the complete elimination of terrorism under the National Action Plan was a national policy and that terrorism must be eradicated at all costs.
Criticising political opponents, Ikhtiar Wali alleged that the Pashtun card was being used to create unrest and division in society. He said political actors had at different times invoked the Pashtun identity, religion and the concept of the State of Madinah to achieve political objectives.
“Pashtun youth should not be used for political purposes or pushed towards unrest through various incentives,” he said, rejecting what he described as a false narrative that the federal government was attacking Pashtuns.
He also questioned the availability of basic facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying many residents still lacked access to clean drinking water. He said the lack of water facilities despite billions of rupees being allocated for dam projects raised serious questions.
“We are Pashtuns ourselves and do not need anyone’s certificate to prove it. We will not allow anyone to use the Pashtun card,” Ikhtiar Wali said.
