NAP OPERATIONS TO CONTINUE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION: TALAL CHAUDHRY

The Minister of State of the Interior, Talal Chaudhry, ruled out on Thursday the possibility of any new military operation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), maintaining that the ongoing anti-terrorism efforts under the National Action Plan (NAP) would continue without interruption.

Responding to the concerns raised by Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI) Asad Qaiser and the peoples of Pakistan (PPP) MNA Shazia Marri during a session of the National Assembly chaired by President Ayaz Sadiq, the minister made it clear that the resolution of the State to combat terrorism was not imperdible. “Allow me to be clear, nap operations will not be arrested by anyone, no matter who they are,” he said.

In a strong criticism of PTI’s policies, Chaudhry questioned the past behavior of the party. “Who brought the TTP? What CM said: ‘We will not fight or will end like PPP or ANP’?” asked.

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Speaking about the protests of August 5 by PTI, the minister defended the security measures of the government, including the closure of the parliament’s doors.

He cited the application of Section 144 and a great meeting near D-Chowk as valid concerns. “The doors of the Parliament were closed for incoming crowds, not outgoing, which came out without obstruction,” he said.

Regarding the participation of PTI’s protest, the minister minimized his scale. “In Islamabad, less than 100 protesters gathered and even the detainees briefly. They were not arrested not MNA. In Punjab, 94 people were arrested from a population of 130 million,” he said, and added that most of the protests were symbolic and ended up quickly.

Chaudhry rejected the PTI narrative that surrounds the incidents of May 9, reiterating that popularity does not grant immunity to the law. “Those who attacked state symbols did so to make political profits and now face legal consequences,” he said.

“Those who set fire to the monuments were doing it for future electoral tickets, and now face the consequences. The courts in Punjab and Peshawar are issuing decisions: What more justice do you want?”

During the session, the PPP Marri raised the issue of pilgrims (Zaireen) who travel by road to participate in the Arbaeen walk during Chehlum. He expressed concern that the prohibition of land trips would have left almost 200,000 stranded pilgrims, since financial limitations prevent them from allowing air trips.

“I request the Government to organize some subsidized flights for pilgrims who cannot pay trips by plane,” he said.

Responding to his concerns, Chaudhry confirmed that land trips for Arbaeen pilgrims through Iran had been suspended due to regional tensions derived from Israel-Iran’s conflict.

He said that the Ministry of Interior and the provincial authorities dedicated themselves to dialogue with Protestant pilgrims and the leadership of Majlis Wahdat-E-Muslimeen (MWM).

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He informed the Chamber that a delegation had gathered Ministry officials last Thursday, and recently more conversations were held with the leading MWM engineer, Raja Nasir Abbas.

“I am ready to visit Karachi for continuous negotiations,” he said, adding that the governments of Sindh and Baluchistan were completely aligned and the governor of Sindh was in close contact with the protesters.

The minister also shared that the prime minister had ordered the Minister of Defense to guarantee the facilitation of pilgrims through air trips. “We have increased the number of flights and compromised foreign carriers, including Iranian and Iraqi airlines, to improve the capacity. Discussions are also being made to reduce rates,” he said.

During the course of the session, the clause amendments by Qamar clause proposed by the SYED of PPP to the Law of the Port of Pakistan Land Authority, with the aim of facilitating the soft movement of goods and people on the borders of the country. These amendments were discussed thoroughly and finally approved by the National Assembly.

Qamar said that the PPP had reservations with respect to several clauses in the bill and suggested a wide range of improvements to improve the effectiveness of authority.

He stressed that the purpose of the bill was to promote commercial facilitation and transform border crossings into welcome points, instead of intimidating barriers that discourage cross -border traffic.

After the amendments were approved, Chaudhry moved the bill on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Mohsin Naqvi. After detailed deliberations, the Chamber unanimously approved the bill of Pakistan land authority, 2025.