Afridi extends olive branch to Centre | The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi appeared to dial down the political heat on Saturday, showing a shift from confrontation to cautious cooperation as he assured the PML-N-led federal government of his support “for the sake of peace”.

After weeks of barbed exchanges between K-P and the Centre, Afridi, who was appointed in midstream to steady the provincial ship last month, said he will attend national security forums to press K-P’s case

“I will attend a meeting of the National Security Committee,” he said, adding that he would participate in any Centre-led forum to “speak up” for provincial rights.

Afridi stressed that K-P’s worsening security landscape leaves little room for political grandstanding.

“Terrorism has affected every sector of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Anyone who martyrs our soldiers is a terrorist,” he asserted, adding there would be no compromise on law and order.

His remarks come at a time when K-P remains the country’s frontline province in the fight against militancy, and the PTI-led provincial government has repeatedly expressed misgivings about counterterrorism operations sans local consensus and dialogue.

On Saturday, the chief minister also rejected allegations that PTI had resettled militants. “The accusation that PTI brought militants back is false.”

As a democratically elected chief minister, he said dialogue remained his foremost priority. “Every problem has a solution through negotiations.”

Moreover, he rejected speculation that he had any backchannel contact with the establishment regarding the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, asserting that “Imran Khan will definitely be released”.

Speaking to bureau chiefs, defence reporters and senior journalists, Afridi stressed that while K-P’s difficulties were real and deep, their solutions lay in negotiations, stronger governance and more effective institutional performance.

Afridi said the K-P police had full capacity to confront terrorism, adding that approval had already been granted for the procurement of modern equipment. Resources for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch had been increased, while recruitment criteria in the merged districts had been relaxed to expand manpower.

Expressing concern over delays in the provision of bulletproof vehicles, he said, “We must eliminate terrorism at all costs, but we do not want collateral damage”.

He expressed sharp reservations over the federal government’s unfulfilled commitments, saying K-P’s outstanding dues had now reached nearly Rs3 trillion.

He said that the merged districts had not been fully integrated, even though the K-P government had provided Rs12 billion from its own resources to support them, including Rs2.5 billion on tribal IDPs.

Meanwhile, he said, the federal government had failed to honour its promise of Rs35 billion.

He added that he also welcomed federal auditing of K-P’s finances. However, he said the centre must also release the province’s dues.

He warned that due to terrorism and economic pressures, poverty in the tribal districts had worsened. “If households were promised Rs400,000 in compensation and it was never delivered, how will their trust be restored?”

Condemning the recent attacks in Wana and Islamabad, Afridi said the police chief had been directed to fully support operations in Wana. He also revealed that his attempts to make high-level contact in Islamabad had gone unanswered.

Commenting on relations with Afghanistan, he said he would deliver a firm message in Kabul: “We are Pashtuns and Muslims, but stop the attacks.”

He added that if Afghanistan failed to cooperate, “we will also have justification”.

Reaffirming loyalty to the federation, Afridi said, “Our life and death are with Pakistan. Pakistan is from us, and we are from Pakistan”.

He added that strong institutions were the key to a strong country, and that despite reservations over certain policies, the way forward lay in dialogue and improved policymaking.