ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that establishing peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the top priority of the federal government.

He made the remarks in a meeting with KP Governor Faisal Ka­­rim Kundi, who called on Mr Naqvi at the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad. They also discussed the law and order situation in KP, including the situation in Kurram.

The interior minister and the KP governor expressed their grave concern over the Kurram incident and agreed to formulate a multi-faceted joint strategy to prevent such incidents in future.

They expressed deep grief over the loss of precious human lives due to a land dispute in Kurram and noted that some elements gave a wrong perception of the clash between the two groups, which increased the tension in the area.

Mr Naqvi said that he met dignitaries of the area led by MNA Hamid Hussain of Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen and took immediate steps to normalise the situation. He said that security forces also took effective measures in view of the situation.

He held out an assurance to the governor that every possible effort was being made to improve the law and order situation in KP, including Kurram.

He stated that the role of external elements in sabotaging peace efforts in the area cannot be ruled out.

The KP governor thanked the interior minister for his cooperation in efforts to est­ablish peace in the province.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2024