Fazl blames govt for failing to rid KP of terrorism

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman said on Saturday that they were convening a grand jirga of tribal elders to discuss the issues, including terrorism and lawlessness, being confronted by the people of merged districts and rest of the province.

“The routine life in the tribal areas has been ruined for the past two decades. Areas that were once the cradle of peace are now facing militancy and terrorism,” he said while addressing tribal elders and journalists at his residence in Shorkot near here.

He said the decision to integrate the tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was wrong, which was why there was despair everywhere in those areas today.

He said that the people were yearning for peace, as for the past 20 years, both the province and the erstwhile tribal areas had been suffering from militancy and terrorism.

“The state and government had not yet found any method to tackle the scourge of terrorism,” he said, adding that resources were being grabbed with both hands under the guise of peace.

He pledged that JUIF would stand with the people of merged districts through thick and thin. “We cannot tolerate oppression and injustice in any form, nor would we allow it.”

He questioned whether the state has introduced any policies that could bring peace and tranquility. He pointed out that the situation in Bannu, Karak, and Dera Ismail Khan were evident to all, and peace in these regions had become a distant dream.

He criticised politically inexperienced people for imprudent policies for Afghanistan, saying that Pakistan and Afghanistan needed to align their policies in the right direction for both countries.

He also said that the province was suffering from multiple crises, including terrorism and corruption, which were at its peak.

He said that there were no signs of improvement in the situation in the province and the tribal areas as despair was at its peak among the people.