PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party has asked the political leaders to stop ‘labelling Pakhtuns as terrorists’.

In a statement issued here on Monday, ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief organiser Maryam Nawaz should not forget that terrorist organisations were mostly present in Punjab, and action should be taken against them under the National Action Plan. He said Maryam Nawaz was calling Pakhtuns as terrorists, which was very unfortunate. He claimed that Pakhtuns had been treated as a laboratory and support system by every leader of Punjab, whether they belonged to PML-N or PTI.

“Once Imran Khan called the Taliban a strong organisation because of their Pakhtun origin and wanted to integrate them into the society. Today another Punjabi leader is saying that the terrorists were brought to the Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park, Lahore, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Everyone should know that a terrorist does not have any religion or race. A terrorist is a terrorist whether he is a Punjabi or a Pakhtun,” he lamented.

Amil Wali alleged that there were many terrorist training centres in Punjab, while referring to the Punjabi Taliban. He said the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should not be blamed for presence of terrorists in Punjab. He said it should be properly investigated if the terrorist training centres were located in Punjab or elsewhere.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2023