Province violates Constitution if it holds direct talks with foreign country: Hina Rabbani Khar

ISLAMABAD: Hina Rabbani Khar, former minister of state for foreign affairs, has said that if a province talks directly with a foreign country, it violates the Constitution of Pakistan.

“Let state be the state. If each province sets its own policy with America, China, or Afghanistan, it will challenge the Constitution,” Khar said in response to a question regarding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s proposal to hold parleys with Afghan authorities.

KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur recently spoke about bypassing the Centre and holding direct talks with Afghanistan to address terrorism concerns for lasting peace in the restive bordering regions.

Speaking in the Geo News programme ‘Jirga’, the former top foreign affairs official said: “This is certainly not within the prerogative of a provincial government, as conducting any form of dialogue with a foreign state falls solely under the federal government’s jurisdiction.”

“Those who believe the Taliban have not been addressed with civility, threats, or firm measures are mistaken, as all these approaches, including advocating their case on a global scale, have been tried repeatedly,” Khar said.

Without naming anyone, the ex-minister stated: “It is essential for them to understand the facts and fulfil their responsibilities.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Friday also backed Gandapur’s stance during a talk with the journalists at Adiala Jail.

“Terrorism cannot be eliminated without dialogue,” the former prime minister had said.

Islamabad has time again called on the interim Afghanistan government to prevent its land from being used by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant organisations for carrying out attacks against Pakistan.

Citing the rise in terror incidents, the federal cabinet in June this year approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee’s recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.