• KP CM chairs multi-party moot, says ‘state-backed militias’ unacceptable, vows action against all armed outfits
• Says fresh operations not acceptable; wants military to stop using ‘quadcopters’ to avoid harming civilians
• MPC says grand jirga planned next month to devise implementation plan; ANP, PML-N, JUI-F boycott moot
• Naqvi says all options to end militancy will remain on the table, takes dig at CM for paying ‘protection money’ to militants
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur railed against the policy of harbouring ‘Good Taliban’ — a euphemism used to describe militants who have laid down arms — following a multi-party moot organised by the KP government to find a solution for the militancy plaguing the province.
The conference came amid a significant rise in terrorism across the province, particularly in districts bordering Afghanistan, which has prompted calls for a renewed military offensive to eradicate militancy in the region.
The KP chief minister opposed these calls, saying that while operations were conducted in the past, they failed to achieve the desired objective despite widespread destruction. While sharing details of the declaration following the moot, CM Gandapur said several operations were carried out against the ‘Good Taliban’ apparently by the police, but the militants were being supported allegedly by the ‘institutions’.
The CM claimed these ‘Good Taliban’ were arrested and areas were cleared by the police, but they were allegedly released by the intelligence agencies.
“Now they (Good Taliban) have come again. Please, these ‘Good Taliban’ are not acceptable and if you really want to keep them, give them uniform, and send them to [India-occupied] Kashmir,” he said, adding that the government would take action against anyone carrying arms.
“Anyone who is keeping these Good Taliban should expel and eliminate them,” the CM demanded.
The chief minister said that several offensives were carried out against militants in the province but all of them ended up in the loss of lives, leaving behind many martyred, but still failed to achieve the desired objectives. He said that border management was the responsibility of the federal government but it never fulfilled this responsibility since militant infiltration from Afghanistan continued.
“Deploy the military on the border. We have the capacity to manage things inside the province,” the chief minister said, adding that he would be responsible if the police failed to fulfil its responsibilities in the province. According to the CM, they want clearly defined roles so that whoever failed in their job could be held accountable. The participants of the meeting were of the view that the police were trained enough to maintain law and order in the province.
“They [the military] are not doing their core job and instead are roaming in an area, which falls within my jurisdiction,” he claimed, adding that military operations caused damages without any positive results. No other operation would be allowed, he reiterated.
Quadcopter attacks
Reading further from the declaration, the CM said the “drone attacks” being carried out by both sides – the security forces and the terrorists – were causing civilian deaths. The MPC declared quadcopters would not be used anymore for action against militants, he added.
The MPC also discussed the federal government’s refusal to fulfil its commitments made with people from the merged districts. He also said that mines and minerals were the province’s property and would remain with the province. He said the provincial government would never allow taxing Malakand Division and asked the federal government to withdraw this move.
He further said the MPC approved convening a jirga, comprising elders, parliamentarians, and stakeholders from every district, adding that after 15 days, a grand jirga, whose members will be nominated by the first jirga, would be organised to devise a strategy for the implementation of this declaration.
The MPC was attended by Jamaat-i-Islami, Qaumi Watan Party, JUI-Sami, the PML-N (only one member attended), and the PTI-Parliamentarian. The PML-N, JUI-F, PPP, and the ANP, however, boycotted the conference.
In response, particularly over the opposition to the use of quadcopters announced by the KP CM, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi responded on X that all resources would be used for the elimination of terrorism. He also took another potshot at the CM, asking how much money “an important KP government leader in D.I. Khan pays to the Taliban”.
Separately, PPP senators Palwasha Khan and Senator Quratulain Marri criticised the KP CM for not inviting other political parties to the MPC, saying those who had rendered sacrifices were being criticised.
Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2025