ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, while condemning the militant attack in Quetta a day earlier that claimed four lives, said that the acceptance of responsibility by the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was a worrisome development.
“I assure you that the Taliban situation is not out of control,” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad Thursday. He added that a high level meeting had taken place to discuss the internal and external security situation in the country.
Twenty-five police officers were injured and at least four people were killed when a Balochistan Constabulary truck transporting them for polio duty was targeted in Quetta’s Baleli on Wednesday.
Sanaullah reiterated that negotiations with TTP are being conducted under guidelines issued by Parliament. He also admitted there are multiple TTP factions operating in each area, some want peace while others want to continue fighting Pakistani state.
The interior minister said that the attack was a point to ponder for the Afghanistan government as well.
He also said that coordination with provincial governments is the only way to ensure that terrorism does no rear its head again. He added that the provincial governments have been assured of extending all possible support to make sure that law and order is maintained.
“KP’s chief minister was invited to the meeting and he should have attended,” Sanaullah said.
Rana Sanaullah said that Imran Khan’s is losing support in the masses and only five to six thousand people turned up from the twin cities for the rally on November 26.
He added that dissolving assemblies for political whims was unconstitutional and an ‘insult’ to the peoples mandate.
He also said that he had reports that PTI was planning to resign from KP and Punjab assemblies on December 30. “Why wait?” asked the interior minister, “if you have made a decision, just go ahead and do it.”
He also said that if the decision to leave assemblies has been made by PTI, they should first verify the resignations they have already submitted to the national assembly.
He called Imran Khan a ‘madman’ surrounded by a cabal of people just as mad as him.
He also claimed with ‘certainty’ that nawaz Shareef will be available to campaign when the country does go to elections.
