Emergency to stay until KP purged of terrorism: minister

State Minister Talal Chaudhry said the constitutional option taken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was not to serve any political purpose but was spurred by lack of collaboration in fighting terrorism.

Chaudhry told journalists that government had no political agenda and would stay in province till the elimination of terrorists. He said terrorism is not just a problem of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but it is a national concern and it is impacting business activity and general prosperity of Pakistan.

He said the federal government has adopted different tactics during the past two to two and half years and responded to the demands voiced by the two chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chaudhry said the government had also made concessions during the talks on the prime minister’s directions.

“If they are not openly identified as terrorists and a strong action is not taken against them, what option is left?” he said.

He added another setback was the failure of political leaders to agree on national interests, and the proposed Democratic Charter II had also failed to get the requisite attention.

To read more : Emergency measures as per Constitution, says Interior Minister Naqvi

Chaudhry said the administration took recourse to a constitutional option which any political party would find difficult to pursue. Once again he said the purpose of emergency and the governor’s rule in KP was to destroy terrorists rather than to stay in the province for a long time.

He explained the government’s stance on legal action that anybody wanted in connection with cases will be arrested or dealt with under the proper legal procedures. “There was no plan to arrest or imprison anyone without a legal basis,” he said.

The minister said he was concerned about the security situation in some parts of the province, telling reporters that children in some regions were unable to attend school and mobility was restricted on some highways.

The action was not against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or the Pashtun community but in the interest of Pakistan, he said. He again said that the option of the constitution was exercised on the grounds of the failure of cooperation against terrorism and not for political reasons.