Assembly session: KP CM’s aide says terrorists have resurfaced in Malakand

PESHAWAR: A member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet said on Monday terrorists had resurfaced in parts of the Malakand division and feared they may become a serious threat to the province if proper and timely measures were not taken.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Population Welfare Malik Liaqat Ali Khan, elected from Upper Dir, said this while speaking on the provincial assembly floor.

The lawmaker alleged that terrorists had once again launched activities in his constituency in Upper Dir but said the local people would no longer tolerate this in their areas as they had adversely suffered from militancy and terrorism in the recent past.

“I had fallen victim toterrorism and we can not see our elders, religious scholars, doctors and innocent people falling victim to a fresh wave of terrorism,” he said and added some unknown armed men attacked the house of a religious scholar in his constituency and killed a person and injured another.

“We know who are these namaloom (unknown) people,” he said and added that the inspector general of police and security forces should take notice of the re-emergence of terrorism in Malakand division.

Provincial Minister for Forest and Environment Fazl Hakeem Khan, who is also president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Malakand division, said the people of Malakand division had offered great sacrifices and suffered for restoration of peace in Malakand and they would not let the re-emergence of terrorism in their areas.

He said that the security forces must take notice of the issue. “If the terrorists are re-grouping, then the security forces must nip this evil in the bud,” said the PTI leader.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said that the provincial government had allocated a huge fund for police to improve law and order in the province. “No one would be allowed to create law and order situation the province. We expect that the federal government will release the special fund to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for combating terrorism in the province,” he added.

Gandapur said the present government had presented a balanced, public-friendly budget where the social security, justice and self-employment schemes would not only improve the lives of common people also provide job and business opportunities to educated youths.

He said the provincial government had reflected all the arrears and dues that the Centre owed to the province. “On account of net hydel profit, we received only Rs 7 billion out of Rs 90 billion last year while the province did not get a penny from the Centre in net hydel profit since October 2023,” he said and added that they had to join hands for securing provincial rights and if the federal government denied these rights, then they would move towards Islamabad.

The chief minister said the provincial government had increased the amount for the Sehat Card Scheme and would also enhance the amount for single-person treatment up to two million rupees under the health insurance scheme.

Earlier, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati in his ruling said that the provost and chief proctor of the University of Malakand should be suspended till the complete inquiry into the death of a student, Musa Khan, who was allegedly expelled from the hostel.

Speaking on a point of order, the ruling party MPA Shafiullah from Dir said that the University of Malakand administration was responsible for the death of the student from Journalism Department , who was reportedly expelled from the hostel at night and he met a road accident under extreme tension and stress.

He said that the injured student was shifted to a hospital in Peshawar where he did not get a bed in the emergency ward and succumbed to injuries on the hospital premises. Provincial Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan and Minister for Health Syed Qasim Ali Shah assured the House that an inquiry had been ordered into the case and that would be presented to the provincial government within a week.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly also adopted various resolutions, including a resolution passed for a new division Panjkora comprising Upper and Lower Dir district, Upper and Lower Chitral districts and Bajaur district of the existing Malakand division.