ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was unwilling to support the fight against terrorism because he feared the political consequences.
Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament, Naqvi said dozens of terrorist incidents had occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that the federal government had repeatedly tried to engage with the provincial administration on security matters.
According to the interior minister, an Apex Committee meeting was held in Peshawar in February this year. He said the federal government had faced difficulties in convening the meeting, which aimed to send a message that all stakeholders would work together against terrorism.
Naqvi urged lawmakers to review the press release issued after the meeting to understand the position taken by the participants.
Naqvi Recalls Funeral Attendance by Sohail Afridi
The interior minister said security personnel were martyred on the day of the Apex Committee meeting. He claimed he had asked Afridi to attend their funeral prayers and accompanied the chief minister to the gathering.
Naqvi alleged that this was the last time Afridi attended the funeral prayers of a martyred security official.
Mohsin Naqvi Refers to ARY News Programme
Referring to ARY News’ programme Khabar, Naqvi said host Muhammad Malick repeatedly asked Shafi Jan to condemn terrorists, but Jan was unwilling to do so.
Watch the clip from ARY News’ programme Khabar
Naqvi claimed that Malick even asked Jan to condemn two or three named terrorists, but he still refused to do so.
Federal Government Wanted KP Leadership to Take the Lead
Naqvi said the federal government had prepared a plan to empower police in five districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He claimed the government had asked Afridi to take the lead in counterterrorism efforts, but the chief minister was unwilling to assume that role.
The interior minister also alleged that whenever security personnel were martyred, Afridi would deliver speeches against state institutions in the same district the following day.
“The people sitting in KP forced us to take these steps,” Naqvi said, referring to the imposition of Governor’s Rule and an emergency in the province.
He further claimed that the government had accepted all of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s demands during negotiations and had been willing to meet the party’s requests.
However, Naqvi alleged that Afridi had never accompanied the military on an operation. According to the interior minister, the chief minister had said he could not bear the political cost of participating and feared it would harm his political standing.
The claims were made by Naqvi during his parliamentary address.
