Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that there are sufficient examples and evidence of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa having complete collusion with terrorists and a facilitator ecosystem, while the provincial government continues to show complete indifference and criminal apathy toward terrorism.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Khawaja Asif said the PTI provincial government continued to remain completely detached from terrorism in the province and displayed criminal apathy, adding, “Enough is enough.”
He said that while the PTI provincial government was roaming the streets for what he described as a failed political long march, its facilitators had launched another wave of terrorism against the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said terrorists once again killed five innocent people in Dera Ismail Khan on October 6, two of whom were customs officials.
Khawaja Asif said the entire provincial cabinet, including the chief minister, remained fully engaged in its politically unsuccessful long march despite being completely insensitive to the serious situation.
He claimed that these people, as in the past, did not condemn the killing of the five people in Dera Ismail Khan, offer condolences to the bereaved families, attend their funerals or even visit their homes to express sympathy.
Criticising the PTI, he said the situation was unacceptable by any standard. He added that, instead, the chief minister had called a late-night meeting to reprimand the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police and chief secretary for attending a security meeting convened by the governor at the request of their party.
The defence minister said that the chief minister and cabinet of a province facing terrorism had left its people at the mercy of terrorists. He claimed that this was why people in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were protesting against the provincial government, adding that the situation could no longer be tolerated.
He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had already shed enough blood and claimed that there were sufficient examples and evidence of the provincial government’s alleged collusion with terrorists and its facilitator ecosystem, which, according to him, every Pakistani had witnessed over the past three years.
Khawaja Asif said that in the past, Nawaz Sharif, his entire family and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership had remained imprisoned during the PTI government. He said time had proven that the allegations were merely allegations and that they were imprisoned at the request of Imran Khan.
He added that the PML-N, however, fulfilled its constitutional responsibility in Parliament, did not hold the country or institutions hostage, fought legal and constitutional battles in the courts and Parliament, and did not become an ally of the Taliban.
The defence minister said the time had come to take important decisions, adding that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could no longer be left at the mercy of what he described as incompetent and insensitive rulers and Taliban allies.
He said the country’s unity could not be put at risk and that an entire province could not be held hostage.
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