New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS): The security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are gearing up for a possible escalation in violence after negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan government failed.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with the governor of KP to discuss the situation in the region. The security situation has worsened over the last couple of months, and the Pakistan government has accused the chief minister of KP, Sohail Afridi, of non-cooperation.
The long march that is being planned by the PTI has also been a bone of contention, and Pakistan accuses the Imran Khan-led party of trying to destabilise the country.
An official says that the federal government either wants Afridi to back down or face removal. Following the meeting with the governor of the region, Naqvi briefed President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“All are of the opinion that the establishment should not give in to the demands that the PTI is making,” the official said.
The intelligence assessment for the region says that violence is round the corner and the situation is going to further worsen. Both sides are not backing down, and this would lead to confrontation and widespread violence in the region, the assessment says.
Among the options being considered by the Pakistan government are the imposition of emergency in KP or the introduction of governor’s rule. Either move is likely to face strong opposition from PTI leaders and could trigger widespread protests and violence across the region.
Another official said that Pakistan is playing with fire, adding that it is more interested in destroying the PTI rather than trying to address the real issues that are being raised.
President Zardari is of the opinion that the Constitution should be invoked to address the situation in the KP region. This means that either emergency or governor’s rule would be imposed.
This decision, which is round the corner, would be counterproductive to the security situation in the KP region.
On the one hand, the security forces are engaged in a bloody battle with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and on the other, an attempt to overthrow Sohail Zardari is being made. The battle with the TTP and the protests by the PTI are bound to overwhelm the security machinery in the region, the official said.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the Pakistani establishment, especially the army, is making this an ego issue.
“The battle is against Imran Khan, who has been in jail indefinitely. Asim Munir wants the PTI finished as he realises that the party does pose a challenge to the establishment. However, any misadventure in KP at a time when the situation is fluid will have a disastrous effect on the people of the region and the Pakistan establishment too,” the official said.
The federal government is likely to approach Sohail Afridi again before it decides to impose emergency or governor’s rule. The PTI is unlikely to budge, and it has often accused the federal government of coming up with solutions that are not workable.
The government, which is under immense pressure from the army, is not in any position to take a positive decision, and this in turn is affecting the security forces as well as the people of the region.
The PTI, on the other hand, is unlikely to budge and will go ahead with its proposed long march through Pakistan. This would only be met with brute force by the already overwhelmed security forces in the region.
The weeks ahead could see the situation in KP spiral out of control, and the security forces would have their hands full as neither side is willing to budge, an official said.
