Amir Muqam Announces White Paper on KP Affairs, Calls for All-Parties Conference

PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam has announced that the federal government will soon issue a white paper on the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying all relevant facts will be presented before the public.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Muqam criticised the performance of the KP government and said changing chief ministers had not changed the situation of the province.

He alleged that the provincial government was involved in irregularities and said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been facing serious security challenges, including terrorism, for years.

Amir Muqam Calls for All-Parties Conference

Muqam said an All-Parties Conference (APC) should be convened to discuss the province’s problems and develop a joint strategy to address them.

He said the situation in KP had implications for the entire country and recalled the Army Public School (APS) tragedy, which he said remained a painful reminder of the province’s long struggle with terrorism.

The minister also referred to alleged irregularities related to the health card programme and questioned what had been achieved in the province after receiving billions of rupees in federal funds.

Says Government Ready for Dialogue

Muqam said that when he was in opposition, he had also called for dialogue on national issues and maintained that the government remained willing to engage in talks.

Regarding the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, he said the matter was before the courts and would be decided through the judicial process.

He also said KP’s development and security situation required serious attention from all political parties rather than continued political confrontation.

Warning Over October 4 March

Referring to the PTI’s planned long march, Muqam said that if the march took place on October 4, routes would again be closed.

The PTI had earlier postponed its planned Islamabad march from September 27 to October 4.

Muqam also referred to previous protests in which some leaders had gone missing, but did not provide further details.

He urged supporters of Sohail Afridi to also answer questions over what he described as alleged illegal actions.

Muqam said the proposed white paper would present the federal government’s position and provide details about the issues it had raised concerning governance, development and security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.