PESHAWAR: The adviser to the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on information and public relations, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, on Friday said the multi-party conference (MPC) was successfully conducted despite the absence of certain political parties, which chose to boycott the event.

In a statement issued from his office, the chief minister’s adviser said that the political parties, which boycotted the MPC, were, in reality, not interested in establishing peace, adding that the MPC was not convened for any political purpose, but solely to address the pressing need for peace in the province.

“Those who boycotted the conference must clarify whether they stood with those striving to restore peace or with those spreading unrest,” he said.

Mr Saif emphasised that bold decisions were made during the MPC under the leadership of the KP chief minister, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, adding that KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and others who boycotted the conference lacked the courage to make such decisions.

He reiterated that the provincial government was taking practical steps to ensure peace in the province and urged opposition parties to support the government’s efforts in this regard, adding that militancy was not an issue confined to a single party, but a shared challenge requiring collective solution.

He said that the KP government was spending beyond its available resources to eliminate militancy but the federal government didn’t show its seriousness in addressing this issue, instead of empowering the provincial government, the federation was weakening it.

Dr. Saif also criticised the federal government for deliberately withholding the province’s funds across various sectors, including counter-terrorism. He said that such a sensitive and grave issue should not be politicised and urged the federal government to stop treating the province with neglect.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2025