PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Engineer Amir Muqam, along with other PML-N leaders, addressed an important press conference in Islamabad on the prevailing situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking at the press conference, Amir Muqam said that the people sitting with him were concerned about the difficulties being faced by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“We have directly suffered from such circumstances in the past, and the same situation is prevailing today,” he said, adding that there was virtually no effective government in the province.
He said terrorism had made it difficult for people to even attend funeral prayers, while citizens were unable to move freely outside their homes. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cannot be left at the mercy of terrorists,” he said.
Amir Muqam said the provincial government had ignored public issues and left the province directionless. He stressed that terrorism was a national issue and warned that growing insecurity in KP could create serious security concerns across the country.
He alleged that the PTI was reluctant to call terrorists “terrorists” and questioned how the party could claim to be safe from terrorist threats.
“Several terrorist attacks have been carried out against me. The family of Samar Bilour has also been targeted, while the house of Zahid Khan was destroyed,” he said.
Amir Muqam accused the KP chief minister of announcing a march towards Islamabad to divert attention from his government’s performance. He said the federal government had no desire to impose Governor’s Rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said dialogue had been initiated before the situation reached its extreme, adding that the prime minister and the entire senior leadership wanted to resolve the issues through negotiations.
According to Amir Muqam, the PTI negotiating team had also expressed a desire to resolve the matter through dialogue. He said the draft agreement was amended three or four times during the negotiations.
“We raised questions regarding the KP government and were assured by their side,” he said.
Amir Muqam said negotiations were underway while the KP chief minister continued to post tweets regarding the long march. He alleged that the chief minister’s agenda was to spend five years in protests.
He further claimed that the PTI government had followed the same approach in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the past 13 years.
Referring to the High Court’s directives, Amir Muqam said government resources could not be used for political activities.
PML-N Central Additional Secretary Information Senator Zahid Khan, MNA Samar Bilour, MNA Ghazala Anjum, former MNA Shah Jee Gul Afridi, Ali Khan Yousafzai and other party leaders were also present at the press conference.
