Bajwa must be questioned on resettling terrorists in Pakistan: Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has questioned why former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa resettled terrorists in Pakistan, saying that he should be asked while former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid is already under arrest.

Speaking to the media at the Parliament House on Thursday, Asif said that terrorism is a global issue that must be tackled collectively, adding that an inquiry should first be conducted into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) failure to control terrorism.

The defence minister held the KP government accountable for the rising terrorism incidents, saying that it was focused on fighting the deposed PTI chief’s political battle instead of countering militants.

He accused the provincial government of not taking any measures to curb terrorism. Asif asserted that Bajwa, Faiz, and PTI founder Imran Khan were responsible for bringing back terrorists to Pakistan. “Faiz Hamid is already under arrest, but Bajwa must be questioned why he resettled these militants.”

Commenting on Khan’s reported letter to former US President Donald Trump, Asif remarked that Pakistan’s internal letter-writing politics has now gone international. He predicted that this letter, like the previous ones, would meet the same fate. Regarding political reconciliation, he said that dialogue is only possible when the opposing side is not hostile.

He clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the establishment, but insisted that if reconciliation was not an option, then political resistance should be pursued.