ANP slams K-P's terrorist patrols

Awami National Party (ANP) central president Aimal Wali Khan has strongly condemned the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government's portrayal of incidents involving terrorists patrolling roads and establishing checkpoints as a 'conspiracy' against the chief minister, dismissing it as ridiculous and an insult to the public.

In a scathing statement issued from Peshawar, Khan described such claims as nothing more than an escape from reality, aimed at concealing incompetence, failure, and alleged complicity in aiding terrorists. He accused the ruling group of misleading the people by crying conspiracy while imposing itself on the province.

"If all this is indeed a conspiracy, then whose responsibility is it to prevent it? Khan questioned pointedly. He asserted that everyone knows the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has consistently supported and advocated for terrorists.

Khan recalled the 2013 elections, asking which party was deemed acceptable by terrorist groups. He referred to the party that proposed providing offices to militant outfits and mainstreaming them. He highlighted the resettlement of 40,000 terrorists and the release of 102 dangerous terrorists during a specific tenure in power.

"Who labeled terrorists as fighters and paid them protection money? he demanded. Khan further questioned whether it was also part of a conspiracy that terrorists included a leader from the ruling party in their negotiation team.

The ANP leader argued that those who pursued policies of reconciliation with terrorists and their resettlement are now fabricating conspiracy narratives to hide the devastating consequences of their actions.

Khan expressed sympathy for the people of K-P, particularly supporters of the ruling party, who he said have been left at the mercy of an insensitive and incompetent administration unprecedented in the province's history.

He reiterated that the ANP had warned immediately after the February 8 elections that K-P was once again being sacrificed for power in Punjab. Those fears, he lamented, are now proving true.

After 13 years of failed experiments, the province faces severe crises in law and order, economy, finances, and administration. Terrorism has plunged K-P into instability, with its people paying the heaviest price in blood.

Khan held the state equally responsible in this entire scenario, stating that from 2013 to 2024, the state has repeatedly imposed such elements on Pashtuns for its own interests.