Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi. Photo: Archive
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said that if the authorities really want to eradicate terrorism, he will sit with them, consult them and formulate a joint policy.
“A sustainable and long-lasting policy can only be achieved if decisions are taken openly involving the KP government, stakeholders, public and local elders,” Afridi, who belongs to the PTI, said at the convocation ceremony of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women’s University on Wednesday.
“This policy will play a vital role in establishing peace. Otherwise, decisions taken behind closed doors will result in people being left wandering helplessly,” he added.
The KP prime minister was apparently responding to the press conference of the army’s top spokesperson, who on Tuesday said the political environment in the KP was conducive to terrorism.
The CM said people have already witnessed the damage caused by past military operations and those painful stories are still fresh in their memory.
He said preparations were once again underway for another military operation.
The CM said that more than 22 military operations and more than 14,000 intelligence-based operations have already been carried out in the KP, but terrorism has not been eliminated. “Even the government itself admits that terrorists still exist,” he said.
He said that when they point out that terrorists are entering the region, reaching the mountains, markets and even homes, they are accused of spreading propaganda.
He added that all the speeches and statements of PTI leader Murad Saeed on this issue are on record. “Even now, if another military operation is launched, the nation must be given confidence, which has not been done,” he said.
Recalling past operations, he said schools, colleges, hospitals, houses, mosques and hujras were destroyed and entire communities were uprooted.
“We left our homes with just two days’ notice and made sacrifices for Pakistan because at that time it seemed like the country needed our sacrifice and we gave it,” he said.
He added that before the military operations, there was not a single beggar, male or female, among the Afridi tribes. However, after the operations, due to drone strikes, aircraft bombings and suicide attacks, entire families, including the male heads of families, were martyred, leaving only the women behind. “When we see our sisters begging in the streets today, it hurts us deeply,” she said.
He said they have already seen the consequences of military operations and have repeatedly made sacrifices for Pakistan. “Even now, if necessary, we will not hesitate to make sacrifices again,” he said, adding that there was a difference in intentions.
The CM regretted that instead of eliminating terrorism, talks are being held on eliminating the PTI and its founding president Imran Khan.
He clarified that for the elimination of terrorism and for the good of the country, they are once again willing to make sacrifices and even abandon their homes if necessary.
The Prime Minister said that there is a certain mentality, which he refers to repeatedly, that does not want the KP to progress or its children to be educated.
“They don’t like to see a pen in our children’s hands because we have always been taught ‘B for bandook (gun).’ But God willing, we will learn ‘Q for qalam (pen), not ‘B for bandook.'”
Addressing the students, he said that the mentality that dreams of sending their mothers and sisters to caves will be defeated. “God willing, your brother will guarantee your education, provide you with employment and support you,” he said.
He assured that women who have completed their education and trained women will be given full support and assistance in all possible ways. “Have faith and do not be afraid,” he said.
