LAHORE: The emergency imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is unfortunate and no cause for celebration, Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin said on Wednesday, blaming the province’s former leadership for failing to stop a surge in militant violence.
Speaking to reporters at the Housing Department in Lahore, Yasin said the situation reflected the political and administrative state of the province and required serious reflection. Preventing the rapid rise in terrorist attacks was the responsibility of the government and administration concerned, he said.
The federal government imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Oct 11, suspending the elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf administration and citing its failure to confront militancy. Parliament must approve the move by Oct 21. The PTI has called it unconstitutional and has challenged it in the Peshawar High Court. The debate over whether the province should have been singled out had been running for weeks.
Yasin said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had taken effective action against terrorism when in power, and that soldiers and police had made great sacrifices. Ridiculing their martyrdom was unacceptable, he said, and honouring the martyrs was the duty of every Pakistani.
No party’s interests could be placed above Pakistan’s integrity and national security, he said, adding that political differences must not compromise stability. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should move towards development, peace and public welfare rather than confrontation, he said.
Security forces have been fighting an intensified militant campaign in the province, where operations in September alone killed 21 militants in a single sweep.
Turning to Punjab, Yasin said the government was answering its critics through performance rather than political taunts, and that its focus remained on development projects and urban services.
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