KP CM Sohail Afridi Says Peace Impossible Without Taking People Into Confidence
During the press conference, Afridi also criticised what he described as decisions made “behind closed doors” and accused three unnamed individuals of increasing divisions in the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday said lasting peace could not be established in the province without taking its people into confidence, as he condemned the previous day’s deadly blast in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan.
Speaking at a press conference at Al-Amin House, the residence of former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Afridi said anyone who takes up arms against Pakistan should be regarded as a terrorist.
He said civilians as well as members of the security forces were losing their lives in the fight against terrorism, stressing that the provincial government was serious about tackling the security challenge.
KP Government Allocated Rs35 Billion to Police
Afridi said the provincial government had provided Rs35 billion to the police as part of efforts to improve security and counter terrorism.
“We want peace. We realise that our children, women and young people are being martyred,” he said, adding that anyone killed amid the ongoing wave of terrorism would receive the government’s compensation package for martyrs.
The chief minister said the security situation remained difficult in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and argued that addressing the challenge was beyond the capacity of a provincial government alone.
Afridi Calls for Armoured Vehicles
Afridi also criticised delays in the provision of armoured vehicles to the province, saying KP had not received the vehicles despite making payments.
He urged the federal government to provide armoured vehicles without further delay, arguing that the province was bearing the brunt of the violence.
“We are carrying the coffins. Our province is wounded,” Afridi said, calling on the federal government to respond to the province’s security requirements.
During the press conference, Afridi also criticised what he described as decisions made “behind closed doors” and accused three unnamed individuals of increasing divisions in the country.
