Dilawar Khan, chief of the Adezai Qaumi Lashkar, an organisation of volunteers formed against militants in the region, criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for playing ‘politics’ with them at the expense of the security of the people.
“We have fought the militants in our region for years and hundred of our men have died. We have suffered economically also and all the KP government can do is withhold the aid that was promised to us,” Khan said.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, he said since the Lashkar’s leadership had contacts with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party, the Awami National Party government was trying to stop the aid that was promised to AQL help them fight the militants and was doing so at the expense of the security of the people of KP.
Flanked by other members of the Lashkar, Khan said the provincial government had Rs six million to spend on making the national flag but it could not provide aid to the Laskhar to fight the militants. He said three missile and one mortar attack was carried out against the Lashkar during Ramadan only.
“We have been fighting the militants for the last four years now,” he said, adding that ANP’s senior provincial minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour and Information Minister Mian Iftikhar should not become hurdles in the Lashkar’s effort to restore peace.
He said if anything untoward were to happen to him, the two ministers would be responsible and should be sued accordingly, adding that they were not fighting the militants for personal gains and were trying to help the government but it was hell bent on making their lives difficult.
He claimed that the Lashkar had foiled many suicide attempts and had killed many militants, adding that last month only the Lashkar had shot three suicide bombers including a commander, Jangrez, who was a major security threat. He said the ANP should keep in mind that its government will not last forever.
