Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi. Photo: File
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said if authorities really want to eradicate terrorism, they will sit with them, consult them, and formulate a joint policy.
“A sustainable and lasting policy can only be achieved if decisions are made openly by involving the K-P government, stakeholders, the public, and local elders,” Afridi, who belongs to the PTI, said on Wednesday addressing the convocation ceremony of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University.
“Such a policy will play a vital role in establishing peace. Otherwise, decisions made behind closed doors will result in people being left to wander helplessly,” he added.
The K-P chief minister was apparently responding to the press conference of the military’s top spokesperson, who, on Tuesday, said the political environment in the K-P was conducive to terrorism.
The CM said people have already witnessed the damages caused by past military operations and those painful stories are still fresh in their memory.
He said preparations for another military operation were once again under way.
The CM said more than 22 military operations and over 14,000 intelligence-based operations have already been carried out in the K-P, yet 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 speeches and statements of PTI leader Murad Saeed on this issue are on record. “Even now, if another military operation is being launched, the nation must be taken into confidence, which has not been done,” he said.
Recalling past operations, he said schools, colleges, hospitals, homes, mosques, and hujras were destroyed, and entire communities were uprooted.
“We left our homes on just two days’ notice and made sacrifices for Pakistan because at that time it seemed the country needed our sacrifice, and we gave it,” he said.
He added that before military operations, there was not a single beggarman or womanamong the Afridi tribes. However, after the operations, due to drone strikes, jet bombardments, and suicide attacks, entire families, including male heads of households, were martyred, leaving only women behind. “When we see our sisters begging on the streets today, it deeply pains us,” he said.
He said they have already seen the consequences of military operations and have repeatedly made sacrifices for Pakistan. “Even now, if required, we will not hesitate to make sacrifices again,” he said, adding that there was a difference of intentions.
The CM lamented that instead of eliminating terrorism, talks are being held about eliminating the PTI and its founding chairman Imran Khan.
He clarified that for the elimination of terrorism and for the sake of the country, they are once again ready to make sacrifices and even leave their homes if needed.
The chief minister said there is a certain mindsetone he repeatedly refers tothat does not want the K-P to progress or for its children to receive education.
“They do not like seeing a pen in the hands of our children 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 female students, he said the mindset which dreams of sending their mothers and sisters into caves would be defeated. “God willing, your brother will ensure your education, provide you with employment, and stand by you,” he said.
He assured that women who have completed their education and skilled women would be fully supported and assisted in every possible way. “Have faith and do not be afraid,” he said.
