KP govt left police at the mercy of terrorists: Talal

ISLAMABAD: The PTI government has left the police official at the mercy of terrorists, said Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry as he blasted Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for ordering to return the bulletproof vehicles the Centre had handed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.

In video statement aired by the state-run TV, Talal said the federal government had provided the bulletproof vehicles to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police IG enable the law enforces to fight the terrorism effectively.

The non-serious and childish approach adopted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister have multiplied the threats the police officials are facing, said the state minister.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been witnessing an alarming rise in terrorism with the police facing the brunt of terrorists attacks ever since the then PTI government decided to resettle the TTP members in Pakistan — a move with disastrous consequences which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently again referred to.

Read more: Resettling terrorists resulted in rise of terrorism: Shehbaz

On Sunday, it was Defence Minister Khawaja Asif who criticised the PTI leadership for their inability to condemn terrorism and show solidarity with the armed forces.

Read more: Don’t evaluate Pak-Afghan ties on basis of business: Khawaja Asif

THE 600 BILLION RUPEE QUESTION

Promising to root out terrorism from the country, Talal said the Centre had also given bulletproof jackets, nigh-vision equipment, adding that the federal government wanted to equip the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police with latest weapons.

Talking about the poor state of affairs, the state minister said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police officials neither have modern training nor weapons — despite being on the frontlines in the fight against terrorism.

In the backdrop of repeated allegations that the Centre isn’t providing resources to the province, Talal reminded that the federal government had so far given Rs600 billion to fight terrorism. But, he added, the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was unable to explain where the massive amount had been spent.

This sum of Rs600 billion is in addition to the share Khyber Pakhtunkhwa receives annually under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.