Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has strongly criticized PTI leader, and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, accusing him of showing sympathy toward terrorists and telling him to “go to Afghanistan” if he feels such compassion for militant groups.
Speaking to the media in the federal capital, Talal Chaudhry said that Sohail Afridi had once again attempted to create confusion on the issue of terrorism. He referred to Afridi’s remarks in which he questioned the need for Pakistan to provide evidence of terrorism to Afghanistan.
“Do you not know where terrorists come from?” Chaudhry said. “More than two dozen countries around the world have already confirmed that terrorism is originating from Afghanistan.”
The minister accused the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of deliberately creating ambiguity on the terrorism issue, questioning the reasons behind what he described as a soft approach toward militants. He claimed that not a single PTI leader, minister, or adviser has been attacked over the past eleven years, despite the ongoing wave of terrorism.
“Banned terrorist organizations are operating openly from Afghanistan,” he said.
Talal Chaudhry further questioned why the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa maintains what he called a “soft corner” for Afghanistan. He warned that no ambiguity against the national narrative would be tolerated and described any leniency toward terrorists as unacceptable.
“You will also be thrown where they deserve to be thrown,” he said, issuing a stark warning.
The minister reiterated that Pakistan has lost more than 1,200 lives to terrorism and questioned how much more blood must be shed before critics acknowledge the reality. “If you have so much sympathy for terrorists, then go and join them in Afghanistan,” he said.
Referring to past acts of brutality, Chaudhry said that terrorists had played football with the heads of Pakistanis, stressing that the real choice facing the country was whether to stand with the martyrs or pursue street agitation.
“You believe that the more chaos there is, the weaker the state becomes and the easier it is to blackmail,” he said, accusing critics of attempting to pressure the state by showing leniency toward terrorists.
Talal Chaudhry warned that no tolerance would be shown if any leader attempted to create confusion regarding terrorism. “If you love Afghanistan so much, then go there,” he said, adding, “otherwise, we know how to drop you off there ourselves.”
