Afridi calls for review of anti-terror policy

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi has paid tribute to police, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Special Branch, Rescue 1122, doctors, district administration and the people of Kohat for their courage during an almost 20-hour operation against terrorists. During his visit to Kohat, the chief minister met the families of those martyred in the Police Lines blast and expressed solidarity with them. He prayed for the elevation of the martyrs' ranks and early recovery of those injured. Afridi said police personnel and civilians had sacrificed their lives while confronting terrorists to protect the country and its people. He said K-P had been fighting terrorism since 2004, during which, according to him, around 80,000 precious lives had been lost. The chief minister said peace had been restored in the province after years of sacrifices and claimed that K-P had experienced a period of peace during the government of former prime minister Imran Khan. He said the foreign policy at that time had been framed while keeping national and public interests in view. He maintained that despite differences between Pakistan and the Afghan government, Imran Khan had played the role of a statesman by inviting Afghanistan to Pakistan and seeking improved bilateral relations, which, he claimed, had contributed to a significant decline in terrorism. Afridi said the situation had now reversed, with relations with Afghanistan strained, the border closed, trade disrupted and economic activity restricted in the tribal districts. He claimed that the border closure had caused losses of more than Rs8 billion to K-P during the last financial year and would continue to affect the provincial economy during the current fiscal year. He attributed the rising incidents of terrorism partly to what he termed an unsuccessful foreign policy, saying the same policy had been followed for 22 years. If a policy was not producing effective results, he said, it needed to be reviewed. The chief minister said the provincial government's proposed counterterrorism policy was aimed at protecting the interests of K-P and Pakistan rather than benefiting any political party. He claimed that peace could be restored within 100 days if the policy was implemented. Afridi also criticised the federal government and state institutions, alleging that greater attention was being given to restricting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's political activities than to combating terrorism. He said the provincial government had allocated an additional Rs35 billion, outside the Annual Development Programme, to enhance police capacity, provide modern weapons and equipment, and improve infrastructure. The police budget, he added, had been increased from around Rs81 billion to Rs190 billion.