CHARSADDA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-Parliamentarians central chairman Mahmood Khan has claimed that terrorists were not brought back to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Afghanistan during his tenure as the chief minister.
“When I was the chief minister, a meeting decided that before bringing TTP terrorists back, a jirga should be convened to discuss their demands, but shortly thereafter, we’re out of power,” Mahmood told reporters here.
He visited Sardheri area to offer condolences to PTI-P leader Malik Falak Niaz Khan over the death of his brother.
The PTI-P chairman said the last PDM government ruined the province, while Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-led current government had “reduced the province to rubble.”
He opposed the Mines and Minerals Bill, declaring it against the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Mr Mahmood said if his party was invited by the Awami National Party to attend the multi-party conference on the controversial minerals bill, it would accept the invitation.
He said the law and order situation in the province was extremely bad as the government had lost its writ in its two-thirds areas, which had become no-go areas.
The PTI-P leader said the provincial government had to play a vital role in eliminating terrorism and establishing peace and it couldn’t do so, the chief minister should resign.
He said unity of Pakhtuns was imperative to achieve the rights of the province.
Mr Mahmood said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was supplying electricity to the centre for 75 paisa per unit and got back the same for Rs40-45 per unit in an unfair act.
He said KP had either clean and green energy resources or minerals and mines, and if they, too, went to the centre, it would be an act of injustice towards residents.
The PTI-P leader claimed that the province had good economic conditions during his tenure as the CM, but the PDM and Gandapur governments ruined it.
He said former CM Pervez Khattak had nothing to do with PTI-P but it wasn’t known if he was part of any other political party.
Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025
