The federal representatives have warned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government against playing the Pashtun card, saying the state will not be allowed to be held hostage by political groups.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Coordinator Ikhtiar Wali and Parliamentary Secretary Danial Chaudhary made the remarks at a press conference in Islamabad on Monday.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Ikhtiar Wali said the government believed in a policy of reconciliation but accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of deliberately sabotaging negotiations.
He said the Pashtun card was being used for crude propaganda and urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to stop using it for political purposes.
Ikhtiar Wali said the Pakistan Army and the state were working to protect the Pashtun people. He also alleged that the PTI was being controlled remotely from Afghanistan and claimed that Afghanistan was taking direction from India while India was receiving funding from Israel.
Danial Chaudhary said the PTI was like a non-customs-paid vehicle that could not travel beyond Mardan. He said the government had kept all doors open for talks.
He said the government had made every possible effort to resolve political issues through dialogue, goodwill and reconciliation. He accused the PTI of instead promoting hatred and division.
He repeated that the government believed in a policy of reconciliation but claimed that the PTI had deliberately undermined the talks.
