Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that after a flop show in Kahna, Lahore, the PTI failed to invade Rawalpindi.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, she said in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the situation was very alarming, with rampant kidnappings and the TTP setting properties ablaze. “Educational institutions are being closed, and the province’s debt has skyrocketed to Rs630 billion,” she said and urged KP CM Gandapur to stop playing the role of a “second-rate Maula Jatt” and instead focus on the welfare of the people of his province. She also questioned how much blood of innocent Punjabis would continue to be shed in Balochistan.
Azma said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the number of universities was being reduced from 32 to 12 due to a shortage of funds. “The number of non-functional schools has reached 543, and over 30,000 teaching positions are vacant. These people are wasting their province’s resources on rallies and protests. In contrast, Punjab is increasing its number of universities, building new IT universities, providing meal to children, and hiring thousands of teachers,” she added.
“The blood of Punjabis is not cheap. Whenever someone from another province comes to Punjab, we welcome and protect them with open arms. Sadly, terrorism has increased in Balochistan. Together, we will defeat the conspiracy to pit Punjabis and Balochis against each other,” she maintained.
She added that Gandapur wanted to incite violence between Pakhtuns and Punjabis. Why don’t they protest in KPK? Protesting there would prevent the waste of public resources, she suggested. “People of Punjab have completely rejected them. Sheikh Waqas and Barrister Saif admitted that people in Punjab didn’t come out to support them. Barrister Saif doesn’t leave his house, hiding in his bunker, but keeps issuing statements,” she added.
The Punjab information minister added that people of Punjab are happy with their Chief Minister and do not want to be a part of any trouble-making scheme. She also mentioned that Gandapur talked about firing bullets in Punjab. “I want to tell him that bullets are already being fired in KP, where the Taliban roam freely. In Gandapur’s area, D.I. Khan, son of a DSP was kidnapped and killed, and TTP members are setting properties on fire, yet no one is held accountable. The KP CM has never called a meeting on law and order,” she maintained.
She pointed out that Aleema Khan had told a judge that she wanted to participate in protests, and she was escorted there with full protocol. “Their facilitators should realize that these people use human rights and democracy as a cover for terrorism. From the attack on parliament to May 9, whenever they’ve had the opportunity, they’ve resorted to terrorism. They want to sabotage the upcoming SCO summit with their disruptive tactics,” she added.