Saif says terror could engulf Punjab if not tackled

PESHAWAR: Adviser to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif on Saturday said that if immediate and effective measures were not taken to tackle terrorism, this fire could spread to Punjab and Sindh as well. He said the country was engulfed in terrorism while the federal government remained in a state of negligence.

In a statement, he criticized the federal government for neither taking effective diplomatic measures nor formulating any internal strategy to tackle the situation.

He said the federal government held Afghanistan responsible for terrorism but was unwilling to engage in diplomatic talks.

He said there had been no response to the Terms of Reference (TORs) sent for negotiations with Afghanistan. He said that while the federal government was neither negotiating with Afghanistan itself nor allowing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to do so. He added that dialogue with Afghanistan was essential to curb terrorism.

He said that the country was burning in the fire of terrorism, yet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remained a passive spectator.