Opp accuses govt of Tirah about-face

Leader of the Opposition in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Dr Ibadullah, on Friday said that the ongoing operation in Tirah Valley was launched with the full consultation and approval of the provincial government, contradicting recent public opposition by the chief minister.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club alongside Pakistan Muslim League's provincial general secretary Javed Abbasi, Dr Ibadullah said the operation was approved in an Apex Committee meeting chaired by the chief minister himself. He questioned the provincial government's credibility, saying it was now trying to distance itself from a decision it had already endorsed.

"If timely decisions had been taken, the area would have been cleared before snowfall," he said, adding that after agreeing to the operation, the provincial government was now indulging in political point-scoring. He noted that the commissioner and deputy commissioner had signed the operation agreement, asking whether they did not fall under the provincial government's authority.

Dr Ibadullah said the provincial government had released funds for the operation and questioned who was providing Rs125,000 per person to around 95,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). He added that the decision to launch the Tirah operation was taken at the Apex Committee forum and stressed that if the chief minister had no control over such decisions, he should step down.

The opposition leader accused the K-P government of being more focused on street politics than governance, claiming that the province remained plagued by insecurity while the chief minister was busy touring other provinces. He also questioned the utilisation of approximately Rs800 billion received by the province from the federal government for counterterrorism efforts.

"Despite these funds, there are no police stations or forensic laboratories in tribal districts," he said, alleging that the provincial government had failed to establish lasting peace and was instead indirectly facilitating militant elements.