Highlights

• The premier speaks at the meeting of the federal cabinet
• “Who regarded the terrorist as ‘Jihadi’ and let them return,” he says

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday raised serious concern over the resurfacing of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) failed to maintain security despite the availability of special funds.

He said that PTI was in rule in the province for the last 10 years and was responsible to ensure the safety of the lives of innocent people that suffered a new spate of terrorist incidents.

In his initial remarks at the meeting of the federal cabinet, the prime minister mentioned that Rs417 billion were provided to KP since the year 2010 under the National Finance Commission Award.

The funding was supposed to be used for the capacity-building of KP Police and security forces, he said.

“Where this money was spent despite the establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD),” he questioned.

He said the nation wanted the ruling KP government to be held accountable for the rise of terrorism in the province.

“Who regarded the terrorists as ‘Jihadi’ and let them return,” he said, pointing out the lenient approach that led to the re-emergence of terrorism in the province.

Shehbaz Sharif lauded the courage and resilience of the people of KP for bearing the brunt of terrorism.

He said several members of the political families in KP and also the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto lost their life in the wake of terrorist incidents.

“These invaluable sacrifices cannot be forgotten,” he said, adding, it was painful that even minor children were among the dead in the recent suicide blast at a Peshawar mosque.

The prime minister warned that if urgent measures were not taken to control terrorism, it could spread to the rest of the country.

He vowed to fight the scourge and ensure peace in the country.

He also put aside the routine agenda of the cabinet to solely discuss the issue of terrorism, saying that an in-camera session could be held for further deliberations.