ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and others could be taken into protective custody if necessary to restore law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), as he urged protesters to disperse or face legal action.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Naqvi said individuals wanted by authorities would be arrested. He said the federal government had spent more than a month seeking cooperation from the KP government on counterterrorism measures.
Naqvi said he had remained in contact with Afridi and held several meetings with him on the security situation. He added that the federal government had offered financial assistance if the province faced a shortage of funds.
According to the minister, 12 districts in KP were facing serious security challenges, while terrorism in the province had increased by 195 per cent over the past 18 months.
Naqvi said negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over counterterrorism measures had produced several draft agreements, but the process had not resulted in a final understanding. He claimed that he remained in contact with PTI leaders until 11:45pm on Saturday and sought their proposed changes to the draft, but received no response.
The minister further claimed that PTI had agreed during negotiations to impose an emergency in 12 districts of KP. He said his discussions with Afridi had focused on security rather than politics and argued that the federal and provincial governments could not adopt separate approaches to counterterrorism.
Naqvi also alleged that the provincial government had contacts with the Taliban, while stressing that the fight against terrorism required coordinated efforts. He said the federal government would provide the province with any necessary financial support.
Addressing administrative changes, the minister said no changes were planned to KP’s administrative units. He added that an additional chief secretary would be appointed under a model similar to the one used in South Punjab.
Naqvi also discussed negotiations ahead of a planned long march, saying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had intended to meet opposition leaders before travelling to New York on September 17 to request a postponement. He said the prime minister and president had agreed to establish a negotiation committee, while PTI leader Asad Qaiser had assured him that the party would cooperate with the federal government against terrorism.
The minister said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), rather than the federal government, had advocated postponing the long march. He reiterated that protesters should disperse, warning that authorities would take action against those who refused.