Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has strongly condemned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s announcement to carry direct talks with Afghanistan, labelling it as an assault on the federation.
Addressing the Nationwide Meeting, Asif acknowledged that no province has the authority to conduct international negotiations independently, calling the transfer a “direct assault on the federation.”
“It is a harmful path that KP’s management is strolling, one that might have extreme penalties for their very own social gathering,” mentioned Asif.
He emphasised that international coverage is strictly inside the federal authorities’s area, and any provincial involvement might result in instability.
In his remarks, the defence minister additionally mirrored on earlier situations of political oppression, mentioning how key political figures, together with Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz, had been focused in the course of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) authorities.
He criticised the authoritarian practices of the previous authorities, recalling how even conferences at Speaker Asad Qaiser’s residence had been monitored by intelligence businesses.
Asif concluded by urging the present meeting to uphold the traditions established by earlier Nationwide Meeting audio system like Ayaz Sadiq and keep away from the controversial practices set by his predecessors.
Earlier, Chief Minister Gandapur expressed his willpower to deal with the rising militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by asserting plans to ship a delegation to Kabul for talks with the Afghan Taliban to hunt their help in restoring peace to the province.
Talking at KP Home to a gathering of attorneys, ministers, parliamentarians, and bar council representatives, Gandapur criticised the army institution, implying their insurance policies had been ineffective in tackling the difficulty.
He emphasised his private dedication to resolving the state of affairs by dialogue with Afghanistan, citing shared cultural ties and the 1,200 km border.
He raised issues over the rising militancy and the general public’s declining belief in regulation enforcement, expressing frustration on the lack of motion regardless of elevating the difficulty beforehand.