ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Lt Gen Retd Abdul Qadir Baloch on Tuesday said that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is responsible for the failure of the dialogue process with the government to restore peace in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Commenting in a seminar on the impact of terrorism on human rights and the role civil society and media, the minister said that it was difficult for the government to counter terrorists with the existing anti-terror laws which is why the government passed the Pakistan Protection Bill 2014 in parliament.

“The particular law was necessary to counter militants and restore peace in areas where there is unrest,” he said.

He said that the government was interested in continuing the dialogue process with the TTP, but the banned outfit through its militant’s activities compelled the government to start the operation in North Waziristan.

Baloch said that the government is providing ration cards and Rs 40,000 per family and is also trying to create more food distribution points for the IDP’s.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan said that the government had failed to provide relief to IDP families who left their homes for the restoration of peace in the country.

“It was the responsibility of the government to make arrangements for the IDP’s before starting the operation in Fata,” he added.

Aitzaz also demanded that the government should not enforce the PPO across the country but only in conflict areas to counter militancy.