Poor utilization of NFC’s anti terrorism fund in PTI’s ten years tenure raises many questions in KP
PESHAWAR (APP): The poor utilization of Rs417 billion fund provided to the previous governments of Khyber Pakthunkhwa including PTI under the national finance commission (NFC) award for combating terrorism has raised many question in political and economic circles considering it a criminal negligence and incompetence of the former rulers that resulted spike in terrorism cases.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif during his keynote address at the inaugural session of the Apex Committee meeting attended by political, religious parties leadership and civil and military high ranking officers disclosed that Rs417 billion were provided to the Khyber Pakthunkhwa since last 2010 under NFC award and had this amount utilized properly especially on strengthening of law enforcers including counter terrorism department and establishment of forensic labortaries there would be now terrorism cases in the province today.
“I asked the PTI leadership, which ruled KP for the last 10 years with all perks and privileges, to explain to the nation where this huge amount was spent and utilized,” Ikhtair Wali Khan, PMLN spokesman told APP on Wednesday.
He said the Prime Minister has rightly mentioned that had one-fourth of the amount been spent on strengthening the counter terrorism department in terms of equipment, police training and raising of modern forensic labs on the pattern of Punjab there would have been complete peace in KP and terrorism incidents would not have surfaced today.
Wali said a well-equipped counter-terrorism department (CTD) and a modern forensic lab were established in Punjab and that a forensic lab, safe city project and infrastructure for CTD could also have been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after receiving hefty amount of Rs 417 billion during last 13 years.
While referring to recent terrorist attacks on CTD Bannu and Police Lines Peshawar, he said the whole nation was worried that the menace of terrorism, which was wiped out by the Nawaz Sharif government, had reemerged in KP, which he said was highly deplorable.
The Prime Minister has rightly suggested that federation and provinces should jointly fight out terrorism as after every terrorism incident in the past the federation was blamed for not cooperating with KP in that regard.
“PTI had left people of KP on the mercy of miscreants after prematurely dissolving the KP assembly where the party was enjoying two third majority,” he said, adding police lines’ mosque and Bannu CTDs attacks could have been averted if the allocated amount was diverted properly to the concerned government departments by the PTI rulers to combat terrorism.
By not attending the today’s Apex Committee meeting, he said the PTI showed political immaturity and an irrational approach. He said all political and religious parties leadership including four chief ministers of all federating units, CM GB, AJK PM, civil and military leadership attended the extraordinary Apex Committee meeting presided over by the prime minister which passed a strong message to the evil forces that the entire nation are united to foil their nefarious designs.
“Political unity and coordination among state organizations was key to win fight against terrorism,” he said, adding Nawaz Sharif government had broken back of terrorism and restored peace in KP at that time when people of Peshawar even can’t go out of homes fearing suicide attacks and bombing as evident of the APS massacres.”
Nawaz Sharif Govt had united the entire political and religious parties after APS attack in 2014 in Peshawar and implemented the national action plan (NAP) that immensely helped curbed terrorism after establishment of the speedy courts in the country including KP.
Despite busy official engagements, he said prime minister Shehbaz Sharif had visited Peshawar twice after the police lines mosque bombing and attended an important meeting on law and order situation in KP on January 30 and Apex Committee today.
The premier strongly condemned social media speculations and propaganda in the wake of the police lines mosque blast and clarified that it was a suicide attack and not a drone or bomb blast. The prime minister has also clarified that only 80 to 85 worshipers including policemen were martyred in the attack.
Senior economist, Sumbal Riaz said approval of PM along with his cabinet members and CMs of all provinces besides civil and military top leadership at Peshawar has passed a strong message that the entire nation was united to fight out terrorism and would continue efforts till elimination of last terrorist in the country.
Talking to APP, she said it would have been better had the PTI leadership reciprocated to the good gesture of the government and attend the today’s Apex committee meeting at Peshawar.
She said the Government’s finance team was busy with negotiation with the IMF team despite the latter’s strict terms and conditions while Imran Khan Niazi was busy in agitation politics and was making hue and cry after dissolving his two provincial assemblies.
“IMF was the best platform to get loans and once agreement was reached with the world monetary body more international financial organizations would divert financial resources and bring investment in Pakistan,” she concluded.
