Azma Bokhari defends CM Maryam over terrorism remarks

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari defended Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday following her controversial comments on terrorism. The remarks sparked a political storm as they suggested the threat Punjab faces stems more from neighboring provinces than neighboring countries. Bokhari asserted the criticism was deliberately assigning a "provincial and ethnic color" to the issue.

The controversy arose after Nawaz's discussion on security concerns last week, which stated that the primary threat to Punjab originated from neighboring provinces rather than neighboring countries. Critics, particularly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were vocal, alleging that the government was shifting blame away from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's role in the war against militancy.

Responding to the backlash, Bokhari argued that Nawaz merely highlighted the movement of terrorists across provincial boundaries and did not target any specific ethnic community. She emphasized that terrorists operating in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including groups allegedly backed by India, posed a threat to the entire nation.

Bokhari highlighted the Punjab government’s efforts to revamp its Counter-Terrorism Department, dismantle terrorist sleeper cells, and report attacks on police checkpoints in Punjab, resulting in the deaths of several police officials. She also criticized Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's government for not taking full responsibility for maintaining law and order, accusing it of focusing on political confrontation instead of security.

Bokhari accused the KP government of relying on proxies rather than direct confrontation and called for an end to the provincial leadership's political tactics. The dispute between the Punjab government and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has escalated into a bitter political confrontation.