Govt ministers express concern over Swat’s security situation in NA

Defence minister says situation not yet of ‘same velocity and gravity’ as earlier

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday raised concern over Swat’s alarming security situation during the day’s National Assembly session and warned that the “fire in Swat can reach everyone, including me”.

The defence minister said there are issues which need to be resolved and problems can arise if the situation is not resolved politically.

While talking about recent militant incidents in the mountainous district, Asif said that the fact that people were standing up against incidents of terrorism was an encouraging sign.

“The same process has started in Swat after 13 years. The fire there can reach everyone including me. The people of Swat have come together. We should sit together to solve the issues,” added Asif and further added that the situation, though similar, has not reached the “same gravity and velocity”.

Climate Minister Sherry Rehman also raised alarm over the situation in the district and said it was “terrorism and not an insurgency”.

She further stated that there could be no “result-oriented engagement with terrorism” and a “terrorist will remain a terrorist.”

“When they agree to talk, they have pre-conditions,” Rehman said, adding that whenever such groups were engaged in talks, it was only possible after they laid down their arms.

Last week the defence minister remained tight-lipped on the possibility of a military operation in Swat, but said the government was taking steps to control the return of militancy in the mountainous district.

His comments came days after people in Swat staged massive demonstrations to protest against a militant attack on a school van that left the driver dead and two students injured.

The federal cabinet expressed serious concerns over the firing incident on the school van in Swat, and strongly condemned the incident which triggered mass protests against the regrouping of militants in the scenic mountainous valley.

Problems of Balochistan

Speaking about the problems in Balochistan, the defence minister said that a commission should be formed under the chairmanship of a judge of the Supreme Court or a serving or former judge from Balochistan to solve the problems of the province.

He added that he will demand the formation of a truth commission on Balochistan in the next cabinet meeting.

Decomposing bodies in Multan

While talking about the decomposing bodies which were found on the roof of Nishtar Hospital in Multan, the minister said that a DNA test of the bodies should be conducted to stop “rumours” on social media.