Shafi Jan threatens Governor House siege if governor’s rule imposed

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan has warned that the provincial government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers would surround the Governor House if governor’s rule was imposed in the province.

Talking to the media in Peshawar, Shafi said that the federal government should work with the provincial government to tackle terrorism instead of taking decisions behind closed doors without consulting KP.

“Our doors are open. Come together and resolve the issue of terrorism,” he said, adding that the federal government was trying to create a confrontation between state institutions and PTI.

Shafi also criticised Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, saying he should visit Balochistan and offer condolences to the families of those killed there.

He said that the provincial government was being asked whether it wanted to remain with Pakistan or Afghanistan.

“We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is our blood,” Shafi said, adding that Pakistan was part of their faith and they would protect every inch of the country.

He said KP had made huge sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, claiming that 80,000 people from the province had been martyred.

Shafi rejected claims that the province had received Rs500 billion under the war on terror, calling the figure false. He also alleged that funds had been provided to the federal government to acquire weapons and technology for the Counter Terrorism Department.

He said the provincial government did not want to stand against state institutions but would respond if its patriotism was questioned.

On negotiations with militants, Shafi questioned what he described as a double standard, saying talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were considered acceptable when conducted by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), but were criticised when others called for dialogue.

“We had warned beforehand when the Taliban were returning,” he said.

The minister also accused the federal government of trying to create a situation in the province and said decisions were being taken without consultation.

He said PTI had been fully prepared for its long march but changing the date was a political strategy that gave workers more time to prepare.

According to Shafi, the PTI’s march will leave for Islamabad on the morning of October 4 and could take six to seven days to reach the capital.

He said the party had kept its doors open for negotiations and maintained that political problems could be resolved through dialogue.