Gandapur says peace he brought to KP slipping away now

ISLAMABAD: Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur has claimed that terrorism was brought under control in most parts of the province during his tenure through the collective fight of the army, police and people.

In a talk with The News, Gandapur said that during his time in office, a coordinated strategy among the security forces and the local population greatly weakened terrorist groups across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“When I came into power, terrorists were roaming around freely in most areas of the province, but during my tenure, most of these areas were cleared,” he stated.

The former chief minister expressed concern that the security situation has started deteriorating again in some regions of the KP. “The situation in certain areas is worsening now,” he said, adding that with timely and collective efforts, peace could once again be restored. Gandapur recalled that at the start of his government, most people -- and in cases even police officials -- were demanding the withdrawal of the military. “However, through consistent engagement of his government, the people began supporting the army and all three -- army, police, and citizens -- joined hands to fight terrorists,” he said.

He claimed that never before had such a large number of terrorists been eliminated as during his tenure. Gandapur added that except for South and North Waziristan, Bajaur and Tirah, all districts, including most areas of the former Fata, had been cleared of terrorists.

The former CM also took credit for restoring trust and cooperation among the army, police, and tribal people, saying that local communities, particularly in the merged districts, had begun fighting against terrorists along with the security forces.

Highlighting one of his major achievements, Gandapur said he resolved a century-old dispute in Kurram, which had long fueled sectarian and tribal clashes. “It took me several months of continuous efforts. During the last seven months of my tenure, not a single bullet was fired in Kurram,” he claimed.

However, he lamented that violence has begun resurfacing in Kurram and that “a few untoward incidents” have occurred since his departure. He added that the situation is also deteriorating in Khyber, Bajaur and some other areas. When asked whether he was offered support for his continuation as KP CM after he was asked to resign by Imran Khan, he neither denied nor confirmed. His comment was it is not suitable to reveal and discuss everything in public.

During Gandapur’s tenure, four drone strikes were reported which led to strong criticism of the CM within the party, social media and from Adiala. “However, no one has spoken a word about the six drone attacks reported during the last 18 days of Sohail Afridi’s tenure,” a PTI leader commented on condition of not being named.