PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has vowed that terrorists will not be allowed to take shelter in civilian areas.
In a video statement on Wednesday, he said peace will only return to the province through joint efforts of the Pakistan Army, police, and the provincial government.
The chief minister also admitted that peace could not yet be fully restored in the newly merged tribal districts. “Terrorism is the biggest roadblock to development,” he said, adding that the public, government, and security forces must stand united.
He warned that conspiracies are being hatched to create mistrust among the people, the government, and the institutions. “We must expose this plot and fight back by showing full confidence in our forces and leadership,” he said.
Gandapur emphasised the need to eliminate not just terrorists, but also those who support and shelter them.
“Terrorists are trying to hide in populated areas to avoid action and use innocent civilians as human shields,” he warned. “But we will never let them hide among our people.”
The chief minister said that any attack on police or security forces would be met with a strong response.
He clearly stated that no unauthorized military operations will be allowed in the province. “Operations and forced migration cause long-term damage, which is hard to fix,” he added.
He also announced the launch of a series of jirgas (tribal councils) starting August 2.
“We will hold consultations with political, tribal, and social elders, and then organize a grand jirga to sort out all concerns. A clear policy to tackle terrorism will be chalked out during these gatherings.”
CM Gandapur reassured that anti-terror operations would continue with care to avoid civilian harm. “In many areas, we can’t carry out development work due to ongoing terrorism,” he said.
He also took a strong stance on provincial rights, saying, “The people have full rights over the province’s mineral resources. I have neither given away nor will I give away control over our minerals.”
