Emergency to remain in place until terrorism is eliminated from KP: Dr. Tariq Fazal

ISLAMABAD, Oct 15 (APP): Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary on Thursday said the government had decided to eliminate terrorism from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), adding that the emergency would remain in place until terrorism was completely eradicated from the province.

Speaking at a joint sitting of Parliament, he said the imposition of emergency was neither a victory nor a defeat for any political party but a necessary step in view of the prevailing law and order situation.

The minister said the federal government had been informing the media for the past 10 to 15 days that it was seriously considering imposing emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He added that all necessary preparations had subsequently been completed.

Dr Tariq appreciated the speaker of the National Assembly for facilitating negotiations between the government and the opposition. However, he regretted that the response from the other side had not been encouraging.

He alleged that the provincial government’s lack of seriousness in tackling terrorism and its failure to cooperate with the federal government had contributed to the decision to impose emergency.

Referring to the sacrifices of security personnel, the minister said the seriousness of the terrorism situation could be understood by visiting the families of police personnel and Pakistan Army soldiers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

He said the measure had been taken to prevent further loss of precious lives in terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings.

The minister also appreciated the chair for issuing production orders for opposition members in jail, describing the move as commendable.