Peshawar: Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations, Barrister Dr. Saif, has called on the federal government to abandon its dual policy regarding Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said granting permission to Maryam Nawaz for foreign visits while barring Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur from engaging in dialogue with Afghanistan is an open contradiction.
Barrister Dr. Saif stated that just as the Chief Minister of Punjab is allowed external visits, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also has the full right to engage with Afghanistan. “The people of our province want peace, and for that, dialogue with Afghanistan is inevitable. The law-and-order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is directly linked with developments in Afghanistan,” he added.
He further revealed that the provincial government had formally sent Terms of Reference (TORs) for negotiations with Afghanistan to the federal government, but so far the federation has maintained complete silence on the matter.
Highlighting the steps of the KP government, Barrister Dr. Saif said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has constituted tribal jirgas for the restoration of peace in the merged districts, and following these jirgas, a grand jirga will also be convened to present comprehensive recommendations for peace.
He emphasized that under the leadership of Chief Minister Gandapur, the KP government is taking serious measures for establishing peace across the province, including the merged districts. However, he stressed that the federal government must also play its role.
“Terrorism is not just a problem of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but of the entire country,” Barrister Dr. Saif said. “The federation should stand with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this struggle instead of treating the province like a stepchild.”