Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday reiterated that his government will not permit a military operation in any part of the province, while emphasizing that police will tackle armed groups based in the province.
Addressing a public rally in Bannu, he said the people of the province had seen no benefit from past military operations, which had forced many to leave their homes. Maintaining Pashtuns had offered many sacrifices in the war on terror, he said people were rightly apprehensive about the treatment meted out to them.
Thanking the people of Bannu for successful talks with the local administration after last week’s unrest, he said the Apex Committee had thoroughly discussed all their demands and accepted them. He assured the public that the government would also hear any other demands they had. Denying reports that the government would take action against madrassas, he said work would be done to provide employment to them.
Directing law enforcement agencies to act against all armed groups in the province, he urged people to identify malpractices and drugs to ensure their eradication. He also urged the public not to abuse institutions, stressing that “derogatory remarks” against martyrs pained him and their families.
Following Gandapur’s speech, the Bannu protesters announced an end to their weeklong sit-in, which was calling for peace in the region and rejecting any new military operation.
However, reacting to the speech, the federal government said Gandapur had “misguided” the public on the Azm-e-Istehkam campaign. In a joint press conference, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam noted that Gandapur had admitted both the military and civil leaderships had already clarified what Azm-e-Istehkam entailed and it was inappropriate of him to once again make it controversial.
“We also agree that the operation should be initiated by police and Army only requisitioned to act if necessary,” said Muqam. Tarar, similarly, accused the chief minister of making “false” claims, alleging it was aimed at appeasing PTI founder Imran Khan. He questioned what the provincial government’s plan was to root out terrorism.
He also slammed “another big scandal in the province,” saying the provincial government had signed an agreement with a “fake” institution to provide artificial intelligence training to students. People affiliated with the institution have no proper degree or expertise in artificial intelligence, he alleged and demanded a probe into the matter.