PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, police, and security forces would jointly restore peace in the province, especially in the merged tribal districts.
In a video message, the provincial chief executive said that terrorism was the biggest hurdle in the way of development, particularly in areas where violence had hindered progress.
Terrorists are using residential areas as shields so they cannot be targeted, but we will not allow them to hide among civilians under any circumstances,” he asserted.
Gandapur warned that a deliberate conspiracy was being hatched to create mistrust between the people, the government, and security institutions. “The public must stand with the government and the forces so we can expose and foil these conspiracies,” he said.
He announced that jirgas will begin from August 2, where political, social, and tribal leaders will be consulted. “A grand jirga will follow to form a joint strategy against terrorism,” the CM added.
He further said that terrorists and their facilitators would be eliminated, and ongoing operations would be carried out in a way that minimises harm to the public.
However, Gandapur made it clear that “no one will be allowed to conduct operations here without approval,” stressing that “mass displacement and its damages are hard to compensate for”.
Separately, a meeting of the provincial apex committee, chaired by CM Gandapur, was also held in Peshawar. It was attended by the Corps Commander Peshawar, the chief secretary, inspector general of police, and members of the assembly from Bajaur, Khyber, and North Waziristan.
The meeting reviewed the security situation, particularly in the merged districts. Briefings were given on different dimensions of the current challenges, and tributes were paid to the civilians, police, and security personnel martyred in recent terror incidents.-Agencies
