A fresh war of words erupted between the Center and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governments on Tuesday, as former Provincial Information Adviser, Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif, lashed out at Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry over his claim that the province had rejected bulletproof vehicles provided by the Centre. The exchange took place a day after Chief Minister Sohail Afridi returned the bulletproof vehicles, describing them as "old and poor quality". Reacting strongly to Chaudhry’s comments, lawyer Saif said the federal minister and his colleagues should "personally visit border regions in these vehicles to test their so-called quality".
"Talal Chaudhry and other federal ministers should stop commenting on terrorism from the comfort of their luxurious rooms in Islamabad," he said. "Talal Chaudhry may be an expert in party organization, but he is certainly not capable of dealing with a problem as serious as terrorism."
He said the substandard vehicles sent to KP reflect the lack of seriousness of the federal government in fighting terrorism. "The federation has always treated KP as a stepchild. It is a mistake to believe that terrorism is only KP’s problem. In reality, terrorism poses a threat to the whole of Pakistan," he said. The former advisor said the people and security forces of KP had made immense sacrifices to contain terrorism and prevent it from spreading nationwide.
"KP Police and our people stopped terrorism with their blood. Without timely and decisive action by the provincial government, this fire would have ravaged the entire country." he said. Lawyer Saif urged the center to "come to your senses" and extend practical support to KP. He added that complete eradication of terrorism required the participation of tribal elders and cooperation from Afghanistan.
"All differences with Afghanistan must be resolved through dialogue. The tensions between the two countries serve no one’s interests," he said. Earlier in the day, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry defended the federal government’s decision, saying the vehicles provided to the province were "at the cutting edge of technology and compliant with international standards".
"The federal government provided bulletproof vehicles worth Rs 100 million each to the KP police, but the provincial government rejected them due to political reasons." Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad. He said the same vehicles were used by federal ministers and top security officials across Pakistan. "Wherever these cars were deployed, casualties were minimal," he noted. The minister reiterated the government’s determination to eliminate terrorism with public support, but warned that Pakistan could "no longer allow the recklessness of the KP Chief Minister or the extremist politics of groups like the TLP."
Turning his criticism towards Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Chaudhry accused the party of exploiting religious sentiment under false pretenses. He said the recent TLP march "claimed to show solidarity with Palestine" but "failed to formulate a single demand in favor of the Palestinian people".
