After the PTI postponed the long march, the federal government’s reaction has come to the fore. Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has raised questions about the PTI’s protest programme and the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Atta Tarar said that PTI had claimed to be prepared for the long march, but now the date of the protest has been moved forward. According to him, if the party is committed to its protest programme, it should be implemented.
The Federal Minister also called the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa important in the conversation. He said that there are illegal mining and other law and order problems in the province along with terrorism.
Atta Tarar claimed that 472 security personnel were martyred and 1,500 were injured this year. He also mentioned the firing incidents in Kurram. These figures are attributed to the Federal Minister’s statement.
The Federal Minister also levied allegations against the PTI regarding terrorism. He said that terrorism affected various political parties in the country, so a clear stand of the political parties on this issue is necessary.
He also criticised the police policy of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. According to Atta Tarar, the provincial government should focus on the professionalism and reforms of the police. He alleged that the current measures create a fear of using the police for political purposes.
Political differences between the federation and the PTI on the issue of the long march are coming to the fore at a time when security arrangements have been tightened in Islamabad and some districts of Punjab. The federal government had approved the deployment of Rangers in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali on the request of the Punjab government.
On the other hand, the PTI has decided to postpone the long march, while differences persist between the party leadership and the government on the issue of negotiations and protests. In recent days, the government had said that formal negotiations could not proceed before the march was postponed.
Atta Tarar said that security forces are active against terrorism. According to him, state institutions are playing their role to maintain law and order in the country.
After the federal minister’s statement, the focus of political tension has now become the new date of the long march and possible contacts between the government and the PTI. The new protest strategy by the PTI and the government’s future steps will clarify the direction of the situation.
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