Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s prime minister Ali Amin Gandapur states that Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam chief (JUI-F), Mauulana Fazlur Rehman, no longer has influence on the Taliban and offered to take care of the negotiations with the group, said Express News.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad on Friday, he said: “The influence of Mauula Fazlur Rehman on the Taliban is over. Give me the task, I will bring them to the table.”
He revealed that a plan for conversations with the Taliban had been presented two and a half months ago, but they have not advanced. “I have sent a plan for negotiations with tribal elders to foreign and interior ministries, but I have not received an answer. Taliban cannot reject tribal elders,” he emphasized.
“If they give me the task, you will see me sitting with [Taliban leader] Akhundada tomorrow. There has been no contact with the Taliban, but send me, and the conversations will begin, ”he said.
He also commented that two years ago, when he wandered through the mountains, low -level Taliban leaders were in contact with Fazlur Rehman: “But today I am the prime minister, and tomorrow, I could not have any value.”
Reflecting on the general elections, he said: “The day of the elections, we hid in the mountains. We did not celebrate public demonstrations. Of the 95 presidents of the Council of the Union, only three were ours; the rest were missing.”
Previously, while heading to an Ifar meeting, Gandapur said that the KP government has exceeded its financial challenges and currently has a surplus of RS159 billion, while Punjab faces a deficit of RS148 billion.
“We talk about corruption in our province, but if there was corruption, how could we have a surplus? If this is corruption, then each province should have it,” he joked.
Asking for political stability, he said: “The founder of PTI must be released. Only his release can restore political stability in the country. Things were normal before the PTI government was eliminated; now terrorism and anarchy have increased.”
He also emphasized the need for dialogue with Afghanistan. “We share thousands of kilometers of border with Afghanistan. Every time I talk about conversations, there is opposition. Even during the PDM government, it was decided to commit to the Taliban.”
Gandapur reiterated the need for a national dialogue for the improvement of the country. “A dialogue cannot occur without the launch of the founder of PTI. You cannot win any battle without the support of the people. To win the war on terrorism, public trust is essential: we must advance with public opinion,” he concluded.
