Mistake to have let PTI form government in K-P: Fazlur Rehman

Says the government has imposed a curfew to hide security loopholes.

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Wednesday that it was a mistake to have let Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) form government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Express News reported.

In a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, JUI-F chief said that criminals and militants were roaming free while the common people were restricted to their homes.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan insurgents armed with mortars and grenades had launched a major attack on the Central Prison in Dera Ismail Khan late on July 29. Twelve policemen were killed in the attack, while at least 248 prisoners escaped.

Referring to the aftermath of the jailbreak, Rehman said that the provincial government had imposed a curfew in order to hide security loopholes.

The JUI-F chief added that the curfew had posed considerable difficulties for the citizens as it made any kind of movement to and fro from the city impossible.

Frowning over the recent instance of security lapse in the province, he lamented the fact that PTI was allowed to form government in K-P.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah had called for the resignation of K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak over the jailbreak.

He had also asked PTI Chairman Imran Khan to reveal who was responsible for the attack and the provincial government's plan to compensate for the damage done.

CM Khattak had earlier claimed that no prior intelligence regarding this incident was shared with the provincial government. However, a senior intelligence official said that they wrote to the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC), Ministry of Interior on July 27 about the threat of an attack on DI Khan jail by militants.