PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur drew attention on Wednesday with conflicting statements regarding the military operations — first blaming its “failure” on an “eroded trust between the army and the people,” and later describing the security forces as “guests of the nation who must be protected from harm”.
“Our forces are our guests, and we will never tolerate any harm coming to them. Our ancestors taught us to protect our guests, and our security forces have given their lives for the country,” he said in a video message following an Apex Committee meeting on Wednesday.
The chief minister called for a united effort from the government, military, institutions, and the public to restore peace, highlighting that terrorism remains the largest obstacle to peace in the province.
“The founder of PTI (Imran Khan) and our vision was to uplift the areas that have been deprived of development. For development, peace is essential, but unfortunately, peace has not been achieved here,” he added.
“The enemy countries of Pakistan never want peace here,” Gandapur said, adding, “The roots of terrorism in Pakistan are linked to these hostile nations, and we must fight terrorism together.”
He emphasised the importance of exposing individuals attempting to create mistrust between the public, government, and security forces. “When the public is not with us, this war cannot be won. The people’s support is crucial,” he added.
Gandapur further underscored the need to identify and eliminate facilitators of terrorists. “Facilitating terrorists is neither in our religion nor allowed by law,” he stated.
“Terrorists hide among populations, and when they target forces, they also put civilians at risk. We cannot allow terrorists to remain in these areas,” the CM added.
The chief minister further announced that jirgas would begin from August 2 to engage local communities in efforts to eliminate terrorism, aiming to avoid military operations that may cause displacement. He assured that every effort would be made to protect civilians during anti-terrorism actions.
Gandapur also addressed concerns about the province’s mineral resources, asserting, “These resources belong to the province. No one has requested control over them, and we will not allow anyone to take control.”
He concluded by calling on the people of K-P to recognise those spreading harmful narratives and emphasised the need for unity in the fight against terrorism. “We will win this war together if we stand united,” he affirmed.
Earlier, an emergency meeting on the law and order situation was held under the chairmanship of the chief minister. The meeting was attended by members of the PTI parliamentary party, the chief secretary, the inspector general of police, the additional chief secretary, and other relevant officials.
During the meeting, the law and order situation was reviewed in light of the Bajaur incident, and the chief minister was briefed by relevant authorities on the latest developments.
Following the meeting, chief minister issued a video statement, stating that the provincial government stands by the decisions made during the recent All Parties Conference on peace and security. He said the government is preparing for the implementation of those decisions.
Calling the Bajaur incident a tragic event, he said that military operations against terrorism are causing civilian casualties, which negatively impact public trust. “These kinds of incidents are eroding public trust in the army, and without public confidence, we cannot win the war against terrorism,” he said.
The chief minister said that the security personnel martyred in the war on terror are “our children too” and are as dear as the civilians of the province. He said flawed policies are preventing proper recognition of these sacrifices and called for a revision of such policies.
He said a schedule for holding jirgas in the merged districts had been issued. Local-level jirgas will be held over the next ten days, followed by a grand jirga. Consultations with local elders, elected representatives, and stakeholders will help formulate a future course of action and narrative.
Gandapur said that the recommendations from the jirgas would be presented before security officials for a possible review of current policy. He reiterated that the fight against terrorism must be based on public trust.
He also expressed reservations regarding the use of “Action in Aid of Civil Power”, and said an assembly session has been called from August 1 to debate this issue, among others, and determine whether it is serving its intended purpose.
“Our clear message is that we stand with the people and will go to every length for them,” the chief minister said, adding, “This is our province, our land. Wrong decisions should not be imposed on us without consultation.”
He assured the public that Imran Khan’s party, its workers, and the provincial government stand with them. “We will not rest until their problems are resolved,” he added.
Gandapur further said he had instructed all deputy commissioners not to impose curfew or Section 144 without prior approval from the Home Department.
A meeting chaired by the chief minister was also held on the law and order situation in Bajaur. Condolences and sympathies were expressed for the families of civilians and security personnel martyred in the incident.
The chief minister announced Rs10 million in compensation for the families of each martyred civilian and security official, and Rs2.5 million each for the injured civilians and security personnel.
