PTI govt warns miscreants of stern action

Afridi says whoever will try to take the law in their hand will be dealt with strictly

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Warning the miscreants of a stern action, both the central and provincial governments have said that no one is above the law and whoever tries to challenge the writ of the state will be taken to task.

Addressing a news conference in the federal capital, Minister of State for States and Frontier Region (Safron) Shehryar Afridi advised the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) to resolve the issues through dialogue.

“Whoever will try to take the law in their hand, will be dealt with strictly,” he said.

Afridi said that the government would not have allowed Mohsin Dawar to submit his resolution on Fata’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkwa if it had any ill intent against the PTM.

Asked if the government would be ready to hold talks with the PTM, the minister maintained that it is the responsibility of government to respect every Pakistani.

“When I was the interior minister, I made Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir sit together for talks,” he asserted.

Afridi said that the federal government had released an unprecedented Rs102 billion for the development of tribal districts and mega development projects would soon start there.

He said that efforts were afoot to empower the tribal people and that more funds will be released for the progress and prosperity of the region.

Afridi maintained that anti-Pakistan slogans were never chanted by Pashtuns in the history of the country.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Wednesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said that peace had returned to erstwhile Fata due to the matchless sacrifices of the security forces and that a “few elements with vested interests” wanted the troops to vacate the tribal areas.

Speaking about the assault carried out by PTM on a military check post near North Waziristan on Sunday, the provincial information minister said that Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir led the attack for the release of suspected terrorists’ facilitator which led to the loss of innocent lives.

The minister remarked that a “few elements with vested interests” wanted the security forces to leave the area but the troops were needed there to maintain peace and stability.

“Peace has returned to the tribal areas due to the blood of jawans and officers of Pakistan Army,” Yousafzai said.

Referring to MNAs Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar, Yousafzai said that no member of the parliament has the right to show up at a check post "with a gun".

He said the lawmakers have the "weapon" of the parliament, where he said issues could be discussed "instead of going to challenge and attack the army".

The minister said that the PTM was taking undue advantage of the sufferings of the Pashtun people and added that the people of tribal areas will suffer once again if blood-letting and terrorism are allowed to prevail there again.

"The government agrees that there will be no concession for whoever takes the law into their own hands and they will be dealt with severely," he said. "Whoever breaks the law will face the consequences."

The minister added nowhere in the world would a person, no matter who they are, would be allowed to breach a military check post.

Yousafzai said the activities of PTM are suspicious and that dangerous information had emerged regarding its leadership at the government level.

“We have solid evidence that Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar are getting foreign funding to destabilize the country,” the minister said.

He cautioned the PTM leadership to refrain from challenging the writ of the state.

Yousafzai asserted that the nation stood shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of the country and nobody will be allowed to disrupt peace of tribal districts with empty slogans.

On Sunday, three people were killed and 15 including five soldiers were injured in an exchange of fire in North Waziristan's Boyya area, when the Kharqamar checkpoint was attacked during a protest, in which PTM members were also participating.

According to a statement by the ISPR, MNAs Dawar and Wazir were leading the group.

"A group led by Mohsin Javed [Dawar] and Ali Wazir assaulted Kharqamar check post, Boyya, North Waziristan tribal district this morning. They wanted to exert pressure for release of suspected terrorists’ facilitator arrested the other day," added the statement.

"Troops at the check post exercised maximum restraint in the face of provocation and direct firing on the post. Due to firing of the group, five Army soldiers got injured. In exchange of fire, three individuals who attacked the post lost their lives and 10 got injured," it said.

The statement also disclosed that Wazir along with eight other individuals had been arrested while Mohsin Javed [Dawar] was "at large".