PESHAWAR, April 29: NWFP Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai has asked the federal government to play a positive role for protecting lives and property of the people.

In response to Federal Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani’s press conference in the city on Sunday, he claimed that the centre was playing a negative role vis-a-vis lawlessness in the NWFP.

In his press conference, Mr Durrani had asked the provincial government to concentrate on improvement of law and order situation there, claiming that most of the terrorist attacks took place in the NWFP.

He said that maintenance of law and order in the province was the responsibility of the MMA-led government, adding that concrete steps should be taken to ensure security for the people.

Mr Daudzai said the federal minister was very quick to advise the NWFP government on maintenance of law and order, but didn’t dare to ask the federal government to review its hostile policies towards the NWFP.

The federal minister, he said, must know that the incidents taking place in the NWFP were in reaction to steps being taken by Islamabad in the tribal areas. The innocent people of the province bore the brunt of the federal government’s actions.

“Mr Durrani should please be advised to the federal government to review its policies. We admit that the protection of lives and property of our people is our responsibility but the centre could not deny the same responsibility,” he said in response to Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani’ s press conference wherein he had held responsible the provincial government for Saturday’s blast in Charsadda.

He said the antagonistic policies of the federal government was evident from the fact that it had taken over the FC platoons of the NWFP and had posted them in other parts of the country. The federal government in this regard, he said, had been asked time and again but to no avail.

He said that Mr Durrani has mastered the art of hiding weakness of the federal government. The federal minister should bear in mind that such dastardly acts could only be stopped by joint efforts.

He hoped that the committee formed to probe the incident, would quickly complete its report and the culprits would be brought to books.

The provincial government, he said, was run by pious and truthful people who were the real representatives of the electorates.