Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam on Monday demanded that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi apologise to the nation and the armed forces for his recent remarks about security forces.

During a media talk on November 6, Afridi alleged that the sanctity of worship places was violated when sniffer dogs were brought there by the security forces. He also made disparaging remarks about security personnel. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had condemned those statements, while a case was also registered against CM Afridi under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

“The destruction of KP has already been happening, but now he (Afridi) has taken on the task to defame all institutions, make such false allegations and devalue them so much,” Muqam said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

“You (Afridi) should definitely apologise to the entire nation, the armed forces, as well as the families of those martyrs, for your statement,” he asserted.

“He has no realisation that ‘what am I saying and how much it will hurt people and how much it will make the enemies happy’,” the PML-N leader added.

The minister went on to say that “even an emotional union council-level person cannot issue such immature and irresponsible statements”.

He added that Afridi was not even “realising that he was the chief executive of a province and that whatever he says can spread and have consequences”.

“The work that India could not do, he (Afiridi) has taken on that task,” the PML-N leader alleged.

“Such irresponsible statements, so you can think what his aim and objective are,” Muqam said, claiming that Indian TV channels aired more of the KP CM’s statements than their local news.

The minister highlighted that not all of KP’s public were of the same thinking as CM Afridi. “He does not even know how much difficulty he is putting KP’s public in.”

“If you have so much capability, then tell an alternative that if the role of the armed forces ends in KP — on the borders, in merged and other districts — then can you guarantee that Pakistan’s flag will be there in two days?” Muqam said.

“I am extremely saddened by whose agenda you are peddling and what your demands are.”

Referring to the KP CM and his party opposing the federal government policy on Afghanistan, the minister asked, “Should Afghanistan policy be handed to you?”

Muqam asserted that it was “not possible” for a province to have its own foreign policy, adding that doing so could result in other provinces demanding the same.

The PML-N leader also slammed the PTI’s governance in KP.

“It is our misfortune that for the past 12-13 years, the same party of social media and empty slogans has been ruling KP. They have nothing other than lies,” Muqam said.

“They cannot even compete with Punjab or someone else on performance, or consider that the ‘if the people of KP consistently gave us a mandate, then what did we give back to them’,” he added, criticising the PTI for “showing false dreams and false slogans”.