- Joint declaration blames ‘flawed policies’ for unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan
- JUI-f’s Fazlur Rehman questions government’s writ as tribal areas reel under militancy
ISLAMABAD:The multiparty conference (MPC) convened by the Awami National Party (ANP) here on Sunday demanded an immediate end to ongoing military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, warning that sustainable peace and development in Pakistan are impossible without democracy, constitutional supremacy, and provincial rights.
Representatives from the PPP, JUI-F, JI, MQM, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and other political parties attended the MPC held in Islamabad and endorsed a joint declaration that blamed “flawed domestic and foreign policies” for the rise of unrest, terrorism, and rights violations in the two provinces.
The resolution called for the formation of a truth commission under judicial supervision to investigate human and financial losses from past operations. It also demanded the elimination of “death squads” and illegal armed groups, full implementation of the 18th Amendment, and protection of provincial autonomy. The declaration further opposed the conversion of the Frontier Constabulary into the Federal Constabulary and the proposed merger of the Levies with the Balochistan police.
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, addressing the conference, questioned the government’s writ in KP’s tribal areas, warning that armed groups continued to extort money and even skim 10 per cent from development funds. He also criticised renewed efforts to restore the jirga system seven years after the tribal areas’ merger with KP.
Other leaders, including ANP central president Senator Aimal Wali Khan, National Democratic Movement chief Mohsin Dawar, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and BNP-M’s Sanaullah Baloch, echoed concerns over rising militancy and shrinking constitutional space.
The declaration also condemned the failure to arrest the killers of ANP leaders, calling for a judicial commission to investigate the murder of Maulana Khan Zeb. Expressing regret over recent flooding in KP, participants postponed the planned Islamabad Peace March, previously scheduled for August 23.
The backdrop to the MPC is a sharp escalation in militant violence since the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Earlier this week, Aimal Wali Khan warned that the deteriorating law and order situation in Bajaur could engulf the entire province. According to local lawmakers, around 55,000 people have been displaced from Mamund tehsil in Bajaur due to military operations, while 400,000 remain confined under curfew.
