Federal govt examining Punjab govt’s reference against TLP: Talal

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is reviewing a reference sent by the Punjab government seeking a ban on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and a final decision will be taken after a detailed examination of the proposal, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters, he said the Ministry of Interior was currently scrutinising the reference, which, according to him, contained substantial evidence. “The reference comprises concrete evidence, and the ministry is conducting further investigation before reaching a conclusion,” he stated. “A final decision will be made after a thorough review.”

Responding to a question about whether the government planned to make the Faizabad sit-in inquiry commission report public, the minister said he would look into the matter, adding the federal government had provided bullet-proof vehicles for security purposes, but those have been returned on the pretext of quality concerns. The price of each vehicle provided to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was Rs 100 million, he said.

“These bullet-proof vehicles meet international standards and have proven effective in the fight against terrorism,” Chaudhry said.

Chaudhry further said that interior ministry had provided these bullet-proof vehicles in recognition of the sacrifices made by the KP police, who stand at the forefront of the war against terrorism. “These vehicles were given to protect the lives of officers and to accelerate the counterterrorism campaign,” he emphasized, adding they are not only safe and modern but also fully compliant with international standards.

He stated that one of the reasons the vehicles were returned was because “you do not want to fight terrorism,” he said.

“The war against terrorism is a war for all of Pakistan,” he asserted.

He criticized the provincial government, saying that while security personnel were sacrificing their lives, the KP leadership was returning essential equipment on political reasons. “Chief Ministers may change, but action against terrorism will not stop,” he emphasized.

The minister alleged that the KP government had a “different agenda” and that the new chief minister had yet to present any public welfare projects. He warned that by returning the vehicles, any resulting losses to the police would be the provincial government’s responsibility.

Chaudhry further said that if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, like Punjab and Sindh, had purchased its own vehicles, the federal government would not have needed to provide them.

He explained that the federal government had supplied modern, internationally standard armoured vehicles to the KP police under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, despite financial challenges. However, the provincial government rejected the vehicles, calling them “insulting” and “unusable.”

“These are the same vehicles that have been used by the Interior Minister and the KP Chief Minister in the past,” he said, adding that senior federal ministers and officers also use these models.

Chaudhry stressed that each vehicle was fully bullet-proof and bombproof, costing around Rs 10 crore, and that the KP Police had been provided with high-quality equipment.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025