Maryam Nawaz said Punjab faces more danger from adjoining provinces than neighbouring countries. The remark drew a sharp PTI response and revived debate over terrorism, sacrifice and provincial resentment.
Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said the province faced a bigger security threat from adjoining provinces than from neighbouring countries, as the country continues to see a rise in terror activity.
Her remarks, made at an event in Lahore, triggered a sharp response from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which leads the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with senior leader Asad Qaisar calling the comments insulting and shameful.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror activities in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which border Punjab. “Terrorism enters Punjab through its provincial borders. The unfortunate thing is that the threat Punjab, a province of 130 million, faces comes less from my neighbouring countries and more from my neighbouring provinces,” Maryam Nawaz said.
Appearing to mainly refer to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she said, “Terrorism enters Punjab from there. Everyone has their eyes on Punjab, but, thank God, Punjab remains safe. The kinds of threats we face come from all our provincial borders.”
Qaisar, the National Assembly Speaker and a senior PTI leader, said, “Maryam Nawaz’s insulting and sarcastic remarks about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are deeply shameful and deserve unequivocal condemnation.” In a statement, he said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continued to suffer the consequences of what he called the flawed and failed policies of the current federal government led by her uncle, as well as the previous governments of Nawaz Sharif. He also said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police had made unparalleled sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
He added that “it is deeply unfortunate that, instead of acknowledging these immense sacrifices and offering support and comfort to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the families of the martyrs and police personnel, they are being taunted and their suffering is being mocked.” People familiar with the matter said Maryam’s remarks reinforced a sense of superiority that has long fuelled provincial resentment in Pakistan, capping a fresh political exchange over security and the burden of terrorism.
With PTI Inputs
