Senate sees sharp exchange over rising terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

ISLAMABAD: The Senate witnessed a tense exchange on Tuesday as treasury and opposition members confronted each other over the worsening security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Senator Attaur Rehman questioned the government’s response to militant violence in the province.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Senator Rehman criticised what he described as the government’s lack of urgency over the situation in KP, saying legislative business could not take precedence over the loss of lives. He asked whether the province had been handed over to terrorists and said there appeared to be little concern for the bloodshed taking place there.

“Why has our blood turned white? Why is there no concern for KP?”

He said people were being killed while the government remained focused on passing bills, and referred to recent attacks in Lakki Marwat and Bannu. He also said the provincial chief minister was still on tours despite the deteriorating conditions. Rehman urged the government to recognise the pain of the affected areas and asked why the situations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not being treated with due importance.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry responded by saying the House had condemned every terrorist incident and rejected the suggestion that there was no concern over the attacks.

“I don’t believe our hearts don’t ache for these incidents,”

He described the attacks on police in Bannu and Lakki Marwat as cowardly and said intelligence-based operations were in progress. Chaudhry also dismissed any impression that a particular province was being singled out, saying violence had not been limited to one area. Referring to an incident in the federal capital, he asked whether the suicide blast in Tarlai had taken place in KP.

“This country will remain; however, the terrorists will be defeated,”

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also addressed the House and said he had complete faith in Senator Rehman’s patriotism, while rejecting any suggestion that KP was breaking away from the federation.

“KP and Balochistan are provinces of patriotic Pakistanis,”

Sanaullah said “seven to eight thousand misguided people” were being trained for terrorism in Afghanistan and alleged they were receiving “funding from India and Israel” before carrying out attacks in Pakistan. He said Pakistan would not compromise on its determination to eliminate terrorism.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made it clear that Afghanistan must choose between Pakistan and terrorism,”

He added that Pakistan would continue targeting terrorist training camps and sanctuaries in Afghanistan until the threat was eliminated.

A Pakistan Muslim League-N senator also urged the opposition not to connect political disputes with terrorist incidents. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had repeatedly invited the opposition to engage in dialogue to settle political matters.

Question hour discussion on FIA offloading

Earlier during question hour, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the Senate that the Federal Investigation Agency carries out offloading in line with established procedures. He said cases are sent for further examination when discrepancies are found in a passenger’s travel documents or profile during the initial screening process.

“FIA has prominently displayed information on passengers’ rights, complaint mechanisms, and appeal procedures at all immigration counters in both Urdu and English, and has disseminated this information through public awareness initiatives,”

The minister also rejected reports that Pakistani citizens had been deported from any country, particularly the United Arab Emirates.