PESHAWAR: The Governor of NWFP, Mr. Aslam Khattak, today [Jan 3] disclosed the outlines of a “conspiracy” to assassinate important political personalities in the Frontier and Baluchistan. He told a news conference on return from a 13-day election campaign from Karak that elements “inside and outside Pakistan” were involved in this plot and the Government was “after it to discover the details”.
Mr. Khattak disclosed that lakhs of rupees had been distributed among outlaws and other people in the Frontier to murder important persons and intensify the campaign of terrorism and harassment. Recent attempts to blast the houses of Ministers and Government installations were in the same connection and full-fledged investigations were already underway, he added. Mr. Khattak regretted the Afghanistan propaganda against Pakistan and deplored the Opposition tactics to resort to violence for political ends.
[Agencies add,] he said scattered and occasional incidents of crime were normal in every country and Pakistan or Frontier Province could not be an exception. “We have 4,000 outlaws in the Province and it is a real task to keep them within their limits,” he added.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2024
