Force alone can't ensure lasting peace: CM Afridi

Says K-P should not be used as a 'testing ground'

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday said lasting peace and stability could not be achieved through the use of force alone, stressing that all state institutions must function within their constitutional mandates to ensure effective governance and political stability.

Addressing a Traders Convention organised by the PTI Traders Wing, the chief minister spoke on the province's security situation, governance, economic challenges and the prevailing political environment.

The chief minister argued that military force alone could not resolve the country's security challenges.

"If force alone were sufficient, the K-P would have achieved complete peace after more than two decades of counterterrorism operations," he said.

Afridi said the K-P had faced discriminatory treatment for the past 78 years, alleging that the province had repeatedly been made the testing ground for policies shaped by external powers.

Referring to Pakistan's participation in the United States-led war on terror, he said the decision had not been taken in Pakistan's national interest, adding that the people of the K-P had borne the greatest brunt of the conflict.

He paid tribute to the people of the province and the country's security forces, saying nearly 80,000 lives had been sacrificed in the fight against terrorism to restore peace.

The chief minister alleged that terrorism had resurged following the removal of the PTI government led by former prime minister Imran Khan, claiming that a new policy framework adopted thereafter had resulted in militants regrouping.

Afridi said PTI had consistently warned that terrorism was re-emerging and that peace would once again come under threat, but those warnings had been dismissed as propaganda.

He said the party had cautioned that renewed militancy would result in further loss of life and inflict severe damage on businesses and economic activity, particularly affecting the trading community.

The CM maintained that no individual or group should be allowed to pursue personal or financial interests at the cost of the lives of the people of the K-P. He said the province should no longer serve as the testing ground for every new experiment, adding that people could not be treated as expendable.

Commenting on the prevailing security situation, Afridi said the challenges confronting the K-P had intensified and that similar circumstances had emerged in Balochistan, with their effects extending beyond the two provinces.

He also expressed concern over violence affecting the people of Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating Pakistan's longstanding position that Kashmir remains the country's "jugular vein".

Questioning the country's governance system, Afridi said that despite 78 years of experience, it had failed to deliver lasting stability. He also referred to recent public remarks by a federal minister regarding the collapse of the system.