Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday alleged 80% of all militants and terrorists operating in the province are foreigners, noting the situation was the reverse of what it was prior to the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.
In an informal interaction with journalists, he blamed the prevailing unrest in his province to a “lack of seriousness” from the security establishment, adding the restoration of peace requires dialogue. He claimed that if the federal government and security forces supported him, he could bring peace to the province.
To a question, he rebutted allegations of 2,000 provincial government employees supporting militants. However, he continued, he had a zero tolerance policy for terrorist sympathizers, whether they were in government or outside it.
Afridi claimed that Pakistan’s tensions with Afghanistan had inflicted $10 billion in losses due to the closure of border crossings, especially in Torkham. The situation, he said, has reduced KP’s share in trade from $10 billion a month to $3 billion a month. “We have proposed names for a Jirga with Afghanistan, but the central government has yet to decide on any such steps,” he said, reiterating his belief in dialogue resolving the situation.
On the repatriation of Afghan refugees, the chief minister demanded respect for all returnees, stressing steps should be taken to protect the dignity and self-respect of Afghan citizens.