Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday criticized the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s failure to adequately train and equip law enforcement agencies to counter militancy, noting that the center had provided it Rs. 417 billion for this exact purpose since 2010.
On Monday, at least 101 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines. The incident has triggered calls for accountability, with civilians and police alike lamenting the resurgence of terrorism and demanding the state prevent it from spreading.
In an address ahead of a weekly meeting of the federal cabinet, the prime minister emphasized that all Pakistanis were questioning the resurgence of terrorism. “The question is: who brought them [terrorists] back?” he said. “How can peace be destroyed? How can Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa go back into the hands of terrorists?” he continued, criticizing the ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government’s policy of opening dialogue with the militants and “resettle” them in Pakistan.
“Who said they have laid down their arms and will contribute to the country’s growth and development?” he said, urging the cabinet to debate the issue thoroughly. “I don’t think there is anything more important to discuss in this meeting,” he said, emphasizing that his statement was “public knowledge” and not a new revelation.
The premier also discussed the former KP government’s claims of it not receiving its due share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, leaving it with few resources to increase the capabilities of police and counter-terrorism forces. Maintaining that KP had received Rs. 417 billion since 2010 under the NFC Award expressly for the purpose of tackling terrorism, he questioned where this money had gone. “The rest of the provinces gave them approximately Rs. 40 billion every year,” he said, stressing this was a “huge amount.”
Acknowledging the greater sacrifices suffered by KP as a “frontline province,” he regretted that money allocated “strictly” for counter-terrorism capabilities had not been utilized properly. In this regard, he said, it was unacceptable for the former KP government to ask for more funds. “If you’re getting Rs. 40 billion per year, you do not get to complain about the weaknesses of the Counter-Terrorism Department,” he said. “Getting to hear that they don’t have guns, training, satellites, and then PTI crying over not having funds is a clear distortion of facts,” he added.
During the meeting, the federal cabinet passed a resolution calling for concrete steps to increase the capacity of KP Police to combat terrorism by equipping them with the latest weaponry.