How ironic it is that federal and provincial governments were playing the blame game amid a standoff between security agencies and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists who were holding several security personnel hostage after seizing control of a counter-terrorism facility in Bannu, KPK.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman whose party is in the power in KPK, took to Twitter to blame the federal government for its failure to deal with the “50 percent increase” in terrorism in Pakistan. According to him, “apart from running our economy to the ground, this imported government has failed to deal with the 50 percent increase in terrorism in Pakistan with incidents from Chaman to Swat to Lakki Marwat to Bannu… .”

In his response, federal planning minister Ahsan Iqbal has blamed the KPK government for the rising incidents of terrorism in the province. This state of affairs is quite unfortunate, to say the least.

Politicians from both sides must desist from hurling accusations and counter-accusations against each other in the larger national interest.

While the provincial government of chief minister Mahmood Khan is required to pull its socks up mainly because of the fact that law and order is essentially a provincial subject, the federal government must do whatever it can insofar as the challenge of terrorism in this particular province is concerned.

It’s a grim reality though that our country is caught in partisan hyperconflict with our politicians are working day in, day out to further widen political divide as their approach to politics, unfortunately, wades into deeper and murkier waters.

Nasir Kakar (Quetta)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022