ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that due to the wrong policies in the past terrorists have strengthened their roots in KP.
During an Iftar dinner in Islamabad, he blamed the border closure causes an increase in terrorism, saying that it increases unemployment and poverty, which gives rise to crime and extremism.
Replying to a question about Imran Khan’s release, Ali Amin Gandapur said that Imran Khan had been incarcerated due to political fear, there was no genuine case against him, however, his release was possible only through the judiciary.
Talking about the trial of PTI workers in military courts, he said that unarmed civilians could not be tried in military courts, the workers involved in the May 9 incidents were unarmed, and even if someone had taken any action by mistake, their case should be tried in ordinary courts.
Commenting on the national security meeting, the Chief Minister said that the government attempted to eliminate the PTI, reserved seats were not being given in the assembly, and Senate elections were not being held, while the PTI had made participation in the meeting conditional on meeting with Imran Khan. If the government was serious about the participation of the PTI in the national security meeting, it would have arranged a meeting with Imran Khan.
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Talking about the financial situation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that when he took over the government, there was no budget to pay salaries in the province, so 10 per cent of the budget was spent on salaries.
He said that steps were being taken to deal with the threat of terrorism and the health card has been restored, although this was a difficult decision due to the increasing expenses.
He said that the release of Imran Khan was necessary for political stability in the country, and the actions taken against him gave terrorists an opportunity to become active.
