CHARSADDA: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) central leader and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the provincial government has yet to convene a cabinet meeting on the law and order situation in Swat, the home district of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

He was talking to the media at the residence of former provincial minister Arshad Abdullah in Utmanzai here on Friday. Party’s district emir Maulana Gohar Shah and other leaders were also present.

Mr Rehman came down hard on the PTI provincial government and claimed Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had handed over a part of his home tehsil to the miscreants and was paying them extortion money.

“The provincial government has kept mum over the militancy issue and the chief minister is himself protecting the militants and is blaming the federal government for it,” he said.

Mr Rehman said the people of Swat were no longer ready to accept militancy or any military operation against it.

The JUI-F chief insisted the PTI’s agenda was not corruption-free Pakistan but only to grab power.

The maulana said the PTI leaders should refrain from hurling threats at other parties, adding PDM workers could not be intimidated by threats.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2022