Mian Iftikhar wants NAP implemented

NOWSHERA: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain has expressed concern over the government state of denial about the presence of the Islamic State (IS) group in Pakistan and demanded implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) in letter and spirit.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, he said he had noticed that whenever people in senior positions in the government started rejecting or accepting something vehemently, it actually proved to be the opposite of the government stance. “For the last few days, senior public office-holders have been denying the presence of the IS in Pakistan which made me believe that the terrorists are actually operating in the country,” he claimed.

He said that Pakistani state had denied existence of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan in the past, but the network was not only present but was also functional, which had now merged into IS.The ANP leader asked the government to stop this self-deception and take action against IS. “The state could act against the terrorists only after admitting its existence,” he maintained.

He added that the rising incidents of kidnapping for ransom, extortion and target killing belied the government claims of dismantling the network of the terrorists. The ANP leader said that the country could not afford to ignore the threat to its existence and asked the government to revive its foreign and domestic policies and launch action against all terrorists in all parts of the country, including Punjab. “Restoration of peace and normalcy would be a distant dream unless the NAP is implemented in letter and spirit,” he said.

Criticising the federal government for not announcing a proper compensation package for the Bacha Khan University attack victims, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the prime minister should have announced it to ease the pain of the affectees.