Akhunzada Fazle Haq
MARDAN: Former Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and senior central leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, has stated that the decision to launch the Tirah operation was taken during the tenure of Ali Amin Gandapur, but efforts are now underway to conceal the facts from the public.
He expressed these views while speaking to media persons at the Mardan Press Club during a ceremony held to congratulate the newly elected President Lutfullah Lutf and General Secretary Hidayat ur Rehman Hoti, along with other office-bearers. District President Imran Mandori, Benyamin Khan, Farooq Akram Khan, Haroon Khan, Sabz Ali Khan and other party leaders were also present.
Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said that Sohail Afridi was brought in not for reconciliation but under a policy of pressure and confrontation, which further aggravated the situation instead of improving it. He added that the Tirah operation and reconciliation between PTI and other stakeholders are closely linked, yet the nation has not been taken into confidence on this sensitive matter.
He criticized both the federal and provincial governments for claiming ignorance on the issue of terrorism, stating that despite ground realities, authorities are portraying themselves as unaware. Such an approach, he warned, poses a serious threat to national security.
The former Chief Minister said that political maneuvering over the Tirah issue is ongoing and stressed that politics over terrorism must come to an immediate end. He regretted that Pakistan has failed to develop a consensus-based national narrative on terrorism, further complicating the situation.
He warned that due to the lack of a clear and comprehensive strategy, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular is bearing the brunt, adding that the writ of the state is weakening while terrorists are gaining strength, which he termed alarming.
Ameer Haider Khan Hoti further said that protest politics and street agitation have badly affected law and order in the province, while incidents like May 9 have caused irreparable damage to the country. In the pursuit of political popularity, he said, the state system was undermined, the consequences of which are still being felt.
Concluding, he emphasized that the country cannot be run on bitterness and confrontation, urging all political forces and state institutions to sit together and engage in meaningful dialogue to restore peace and stability in the country and the province.
