Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the daughter of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said her province faces a greater security threat from its adjoining provinces than from other neighbouring countries.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share borders with Punjab. Punjab also shares an international border with India.
Terrorism enters Punjab through its provincial borders
“Terrorism enters Punjab through its provincial borders. The unfortunate thing is that the threat Punjab, a province of 130 million, faces comes less from my neighbouring countries and more from my neighbouring provinces,” CM Maryam Nawaz said at an event in Lahore.
Mainly referring to adjoiningย Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Punjab CM said, “Terrorism enters Punjab from there. Everyone has their eyes on Punjab, but, thank God, Punjab remains safe. The kinds of threats we face come from all our provincial borders.”
PTI criticises Punjab’s CM remark
A senior leader of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which leads the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for her remarks, describing them as ‘insulting’.
“Maryam Nawaz’s insulting and sarcastic remarks about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are deeply shameful and deserve unequivocal condemnation,” said National Assembly Speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaisar.
“The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to suffer the consequences of the flawed and failed policies pursued by the current federal government led by her uncle, as well as the previous governments of Nawaz Sharif,” he said in a statement.ย ย
Qaisar pointed out that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have also made unparalleled sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
He said that “it is deeply unfortunate that, instead of acknowledging these immense sacrifices and offering support and comfort to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the families of the martyrs and police personnel, they are being taunted and their suffering is being mocked.”
Criticising Maryam Nawaz’s remarks, National Democratic Movement President and former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar accused the Punjabi elite of having played a role in creating the terrorism that Punjab now faces. “The terrorism that you are now describing as a threat to Punjab was, in fact, engineered by your own Punjabi elite. You may be feeling the heat now, but we have been burning for decades,” Dawar said.
People familiar with the matter said Maryam’s remarks could reinforce a sense of superiority that has long contributed to provincial resentment in Pakistan.
(With PTI inputs)
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