Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information & Culture, Mian Iftikhar Hussain has dispelled impression that the provincial government was not supporting the peace committee of Adezai, saying the government was fully supporting peace committee and help volunteers.
Addressing the oath taking ceremony of Nowshera Bar Association he said that beside regular police force, the provincial government had also recruited community police and constituted peace committees and Lashkars for provision of protection to the lives and properties of the people.
The minister while strongly condemning the Wednesday suicide attack on Namaz-e-Janaza at Adezai said that the government was shocked over this barbarian act. He, however, said that no one would be allowed to blackmail or pressurise the government. He added that he himself along with the IG Police Fayyaz Khan Toru visited the site of the blast at Adezai and met with the brother and son of the former Commander of the Adezai Peace Lashkar Abdul Malik Shaheed and brother of the incumbent Commander of the lashkar Dilawar Khan and they in the presence of the SP Abdul Kalaam and media persons admitted that 70 persons of the lashkar were being paid by the government and cartridges and weapons were also provided to them. The minister negated the media report that the Namaz-e-Janaza was of the wife of the prominent member of the peace committee as the Namaz-e- Janaza of the member of the peace committee or their families were always offered within the mosque or boundary wall. He added, the said Namaz-e-Janaza was of wife of Wakeel, which was also attended by the members of the peace committee.
The minister continued, if the peace committee was attacked, it was not meant that the government was not supporting it, as in the past the police force, army and other security agencies had already been attacked by the terrorists. He added that now the police force had been strengthened to the extent that it could meet any untoward situation.
The minister maintained that the government keeps a vigilant eye on the peace committee and no criminal would be spared in the said committee in the name of peace. He appealed the media not to publish or telecast news of the sensitive nature without authentication, as it could prove harmful for the interest of nation. He said that lawyers and judiciary could play a vital role in curbing the menace of terrorism. He regretted that the 98 percent terrorists arrested by the government were freed by the courts on the pretext that there was no solid proof against them. He questioned if the terrorists along with the suicide jackets were arrested and belonging to such an organisation, which on so many occasions owned the terrorists activities, was not sufficient for the judiciary.