Rana Sanaullah blames KP govt for not improving CTD’s performance

Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Monday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had paid no attention to improving the Counter-Terrorism Department's (CTD) performance, and neither had it raised the issue with the federal government during the last nine years, APP reported.

The minister, in a statement, said there was poor law and order situation in the province as some 300 terrorist incidents had occurred in the province in a year.

He said the report of the national agencies about the performance of the CTD of KP was an eye-opener, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government in the province had done nothing in that regard.

Instead of strengthening the CTD, they brought swaths of people with guns to attack the capital, he added.

The federal government had offered to help build the capacity of KP police and CTD, but received no response from the provincial government till-date, the minister said.

Rana Sana said the PTI claimed that the KP had made progress during its nine-year government, but it had no money for the salaries and pensions of the employees or the martyrs.

He said there was a question mark on the 150 percent difference between the CTD Shuhada (martyrs) packages in Punjab and KP. Likewise, there had been a 70 percent difference between the salaries of CTD Punjab and CTD KP personnel. There was no training school for the CTD KP, he added.

The appointment of only one officer of SSP (senior superintendent of police) rank in the province, he added, was proof of the incompetence of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his chief minister.

The attitude of Imran Khan and his “company of bribers” on the issue of terrorism was criminal, rather it amounted to helping the terrorists, he said.

Rana Sana alleged that Imran Khan had time “to steal watches”, but had no time to save people from terrorists.

"He was responsible for ruining KP’s CTD. Instead of fighting the federation and institutions, he should use that time in fighting terrorism," he added.

The minister claimed that the PTI’s performance despite being in power for the last nine years was nil as KP people had to bear the cost of Imran Khan’s incompetence and corruption in the form of terrorism.

"PTI leader is busy dissolving assemblies, while the terrorists were killing the innocent people of KP," he added.

The interior minister's statement comes a day after a CTD police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa came under a militant attack in Bannu, leading to a fierce exchange of fire that resulted in the martyrdom of at least four policemen and injuries to as many, officials said on Sunday.

More than 30 members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been holding several officers hostage after breaking free from custody and seizing a police station, officials said.

They took hostages to negotiate with government authorities, officials said. They fired at security personnel, injuring a policeman and a soldier.

A video posted on social media, which the government official confirmed to be from the scene, showed a group of armed men, with one threatening to kill all the hostages. "During the interrogation, some of them snatched guns from the policemen and later took the entire staff hostage," he told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

"They want us to provide them safe passage via a ground route or by air. They want to take all the hostages with them and to release them later on the Afghan border or inside Afghanistan."

“It’s not clear if the terrorists attacked from outside, or if they snatched the ammunition from staff inside” while being interrogated following their arrest," Bannu police spokesman Muhammad Naseeb told Reuters.

The situation in Bannu has remained tense as police and security agencies cordoned off the cantonment area.

Internet and mobile phone services have also been suspended in the area.