Asif Slams KP CM’s Offer to Talk to Afghanistan as Attack on Federation
No province has the authority to negotiate directly with any country,
Islamabad-Asif has strongly criticized Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister’s statement of holding talks with Afghanistan, terming it an attack on the federation. Asif argued that such a move undermines the federal government’s authority and is unconstitutional.
Asif emphasized that foreign policy and international relations fall under the federal government’s purview, and any attempts by provincial governments to engage in separate talks with foreign countries are a violation of the constitution.
The KP CM’s statement has sparked a controversy, with many seeing it as a move to bypass the federal government’s authority. Asif’s criticism highlights the need for provincial governments to work within their constitutional boundaries and respect the federal government’s authority on foreign policy matters.
Asif, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Thursday, said that the provicial chief executive must not have given the statement.
He added that no province has the authority to negotiate directly with any country, and in this context, the statement made by CM Gandapur, is extremely dangerous.
Pakistan has witnessed a spike in terrorist attacks since the Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.
KP alone witnessed 25 casualties in the 29 terrorist attacks during August.
Islamabad has time again called on the interim Afghanistan government to prevent its land from being used by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant organisations for carrying out attacks against Pakistan.
Citing the rise in terror incidents, the federal cabinet in June this year approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee’s recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.
Additionally, the government had also introduced a major policy shift under a decision to stringently enforce international laws at its borders with Afghanistan earlier this year, to restrict the influx of militants and smuggled goods into the country.
Afghanistan does not recognise the Durand Line, the border between the two countries, arguing it was created by the British to divide ethnic Pashtuns.
The 2,640km border was established in 1893 through an agreement between British-ruled India and Abdur Rahman Khan, then ruler of Afghanistan.
Both countries share 18 crossing points, with Torkham and Chaman being the most frequently used for trade and movement of people. These crossings also connect Balochistan to Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province.
In 2017, Pakistan started fencing the border with Afghanistan to contain terrorist cross-border movement, a move condemned by Kabul.
