Centre, K-P in 'armchair politics'

A fresh war of words erupted between the Centre and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments on Tuesday, as former provincial information adviser Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif lashed out at Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry over his claim that the province had rejected bulletproof vehicles provided by the centre.

The exchange came a day after Chief Minister Sohail Afridi returned the bulletproof vehicles, describing them as "old and substandard".

Reacting strongly to Chaudhry's comments, Barrister Saif said the federal minister and his colleagues should "personally tour border regions in those vehicles to test their so-called quality".

"Talal Chaudhry and other federal ministers should stop commenting on terrorism from the comfort of their luxury rooms in Islamabad," he said. "Talal Chaudhry may be an expert in party organisation, but he is certainly not capable of dealing with an issue as grave as terrorism."

He said the substandard vehicles sent to K-P reflect the federal government's non-seriousness in fighting terrorism. "The federation has always treated K-P like a stepchild. It is mistaken to believe that terrorism is only K-P's problem. In reality, terrorism is a threat to all of Pakistan," he said.

The former adviser said the people and security forces of K-P had sacrificed immensely to contain terrorism and prevent it from spreading nationwide.

"The K-P police and our people have stopped terrorism with their blood. Without timely and decisive measures by the provincial government, this fire would have engulfed the whole country," he asserted.

Barrister Saif urged the centre to "come to its senses" and extend practical support to K-P. He added that the complete eradication of terrorism required the involvement of tribal elders and Afghanistan's cooperation.

"All disputes with Afghanistan must be resolved through dialogue. Tensions between the two countries serve no one's interest," he said. Earlier in the day, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry defended the federal government's decision, saying the vehicles supplied to the province were "state-of-the-art and in line with international standards".

"The federal government provided bulletproof vehicles worth Rs 100 million each to the K-P Police, but the provincial government rejected them on political grounds," Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad. He said the same vehicles were being used by federal ministers and senior security officials across Pakistan. "Wherever these cars have been deployed, there have been minimal casualties," he noted.

The minister reiterated the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism with public support but warned that Pakistan could "no longer afford the recklessness of the K-P chief minister or the extremist politics of groups like TLP."

Turning his criticism toward Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Chaudhry accused the party of exploiting religious sentiment under false pretences. He said the TLP's recent march "claimed to show solidarity with Palestine" but "failed to make a single demand in support of the Palestinian people".