Govt rejects 'politicisation of terrorism'

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday strongly pushed back against allegations levelled by Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, accusing the federal government of politicising terrorism and misrepresenting the province's counterterrorism capacity amid a worsening security environment.

In a statement issued in Peshawar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan said the allegations were baseless and irresponsible, saying the continued use of terrorism as a political tool was "deeply regrettable and unacceptable".

He said the federal government, "imposed through a stolen mandate", was attempting to score political points on an issue that had claimed the lives of police personnel, civilians and elected representatives alike.

Shafi Jan said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) stance on terrorism was unambiguous, stressing that terrorism was neither confined to one province nor a partisan matter. He questioned the basis on which Talal Chaudhry was singling out K-P, saying that security forces, civilians and PTI lawmakers themselves had been targeted in the conflict.

Calling the federal government's approach "undemocratic, unconstitutional and illegal," he said the federation and Punjab were being run by a setup that continued to indulge in political point-scoring and misinformation "even on an issue as serious as terrorism".

Rejecting claims about the absence of a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in the province, the special assistant said the assertion reflected Talal Chaudhry's "ignorance, incompetence and political prejudice".

He said the CTD and police were jointly leading counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that personnel of both forces had made unprecedented sacrifices.