Talks with TTP under way but no compromise on State writ, says Fawad Chaudhry

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry has said that dialogues with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are under way but the writ of the state would be ensured at all costs.

The minister further said that no culprit of Army Public School, Peshawar carnage would be spared and they must be taken to justice.

He maintained that the TTP must follow the Constitution of Pakistan, otherwise the State of Pakistan would fight against them as it had fought in the past, and established its writ.

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The minister said this while addressing a press conference in Lahore on Sunday. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib was also present on this occasion.

Talking about the protest in Gwadar, Fawad said that the federal and Balochistan governments would resolve all the problems of Gwadar’s people as the PTI government had full realization of difficulties being confronted by them.

The minister lamented that the previous governments had done nothing for Gwadar in the past that was why the masses were facing issues of water, gas and electricity.

He further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had contacted to the Government of Balochistan for resolution of the issues, claiming that a big package for the province would be announced in forthcoming week.

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The minister said that the government wanted to strengthen the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), urging the commission to bring the funding records of the PTI, PML-N and PPP before the public so that truth could come out.  There were very serious allegations about the collection of the JUI-F funds, which must be probed, he added.

He asserted the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) had no record of its donors.  Whereas, the Pakistan Peoples Party’s funding record from 2009 to 2012 was missing and the sources of funding was still unknown.

Fawad observed that a number of extremist parties were also registered with the ECP.

He maintained that the upcoming elections would be held through Electronic Voting Machines and the EVMs as many as required by the ECP would be provided to the commission within two months.

Fawad congratulated the Government of Punjab for the passage of local bodies’ ordinance, lambasting the Sindh chief minister for his speech in the Sindh Assembly, calling the opposition as illiterate and uneducated. “The Sindh Chief Minister should come to his senses”, he urged.

The minister elaborated that under the Punjab local bodies’ law, mayors would directly be elected in every district and he would be just like a chief minister of his district, adding the schedule for mayors’ election would be announced soon.