Khawaja Asif says KP on 'same page' as Centre in fight against terrorism
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Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday acknowledged that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was standing firmly with the Centre in combatting terrorism, hailing that they were on the “same page”. He made the remarks on the floor of the National Assembly while responding to an emotionally charged speech by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Noor Alam Khan, who had criticised both the federal and provincial governments for rising terrorism in the province. “We did not have the KP government’s cooperation for a very long time, [but] now we have [it]. They are standing firmly with the Centre and the armed forces against terrorism. There is no doubt,” Asif declared. “It is a good thing that we are all on the same page,” he added. The defence minister said, “I agree with them that a solution to this issue is needed, but it is not the centre’s responsibility; it is partially, but all provinces have to contribute to this with their resources.” Asif also strongly responded to suggestions that Islamabad hold a dialogue with Kabul, highlighting that Pakistan had already done so multiple times but to no avail. “We have done so. I did three rounds myself,” he said, recalling his 2023 visit to Kabul and the meetings held in Turkiye and Qatar last year between the two sides. The minister pointed out that Pakistan engaged in talks with the Afghan Taliban government while terrorism was ongoing in the country. “Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia played a role but no solution came out of it,” he stated. “The Kabul government is not ready to give us a guarantee that no attacks will be carried out against Pakistan from their soil.” Asif affirmed that the Centre stood with the KP government, noting the sacrifices rendered by the soldiers, including the recent attack on a police post in Bannu that claimed the lives of “22 people”. “Our loss is a common loss,” he said, observing that KP and Balochistan witnessed more terrorist attacks since they shared the border with Afghanistan. “We hav