Qaiser Slams Maryam Nawaz: Closing Afghan Trade Routes Has Hurt Our People

Asad Qaiser, secretary-general of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, has criticized recent remarks by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of Pakistan's war on terrorism over the years and that government policies have once again turned the province into a battleground. Qaiser also raised the issue of Afghanistan and bilateral trade, saying a significant part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's economic activity depends on trade with Afghanistan and that the closure of crossings has increased economic pressure on people in the province. Asad Qaiser, secretary-general of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, said: 'Unemployment has increased here, and now our livelihoods depend on trade with Afghanistan. Our small market in Peshawar cannot compete with Lahore and Karachi. Our livelihoods depended on Afghanistan and Central Asia. You closed the crossings and forced us into hunger. Then you say this. Have you no shame, when the people here have suffered such losses for Pakistan?' Qutbuddin Yaqoubi, an economic analyst, said: 'The situation has reached a point where both sides have suffered, particularly Pakistan, for which Afghanistan was a traditional market. It has lost a market for second- and third-tier goods that were used by people in Afghanistan.' Meanwhile, Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), responding to Maryam Nawaz's remarks, wrote on social media that the threat facing Pashtuns and Baloch people comes from Punjab. He also accused Pakistan's government and military of carrying out airstrikes and drone attacks, enforced disappearances and targeted killings, and of imprisoning political leaders, saying people in Pashtun- and Baloch-majority areas have suffered heavily as a result of these policies. Manzoor Pashteen wrote on Facebook: 'The Punjabi army, which is responsible for the killing of millions of people from subjugated nations, and Punjabi politicians, who formulate policies aimed at stripping subjugated nations of their history, culture and even language, Punjab, as the source and center of these policies, has no right to complain to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa about Colonel Imam's training camps, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa itself has suffered from the policies of the Punjab army.' Sohail Khan Afridi, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also accused Maryam Nawaz of portraying the people of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan as terrorists, saying she had described India as a friend while portraying them as a threat. Sohail Khan Afridi said: 'These Pakistanis, these people, will do anything for their personal interests. They can label you a terrorist and have you killed. They can open fire on peaceful protests. They can even sell Pakistan.' Idris Mohammadi Zazi, a political analyst, said: 'The insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the deteriorating security situation there are the result of the policies of the Pakistani state. Pashtuns there are safe neither in their homes, nor on the streets, nor in mosques.' Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said Punjab faces greater security threats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan than from neighboring countries, and that terrorism enters Punjab through the borders of these provinces. She also said that despite these threats, Punjab remains secure and that authorities have increased the use of technology and surveillance along provincial borders to strengthen security. Manzoor Pashteen wrote on social media that the threat facing Pashtuns and Baloch people comes from Punjab. Asad Qaiser, secretary-general of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, has criticized recent remarks by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of Pakistan's war on terrorism over the years and that government policies have once again turned the province into a battleground. Qaiser also raised the issue of Afghanistan and bilateral trade, saying a significant part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's economic activity depends on trade with Afghanistan and that the closure of crossings has increased economic pressure on people in the province. Asad Qaiser, secretary-general of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, said: 'Unemployment has increased here, and now our livelihoods depend on trade with Afghanistan. Our small market in Peshawar cannot compete with Lahore and Karachi. Our livelihoods depended on Afghanistan and Central Asia. You closed the crossings and forced us into hunger. Then you say this. Have you no shame, when the people here have suffered such losses for Pakistan?' Qutbuddin Yaqoubi, an economic analyst, said: 'The situation has reached a point where both sides have suffered, particularly Pakistan, for which Afghanistan was a traditional market. It has lost a market for second- and third-tier goods that were used by people in Afghanistan.' Meanwhile, Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), responding to Maryam Nawaz's remarks, wrote on social media that the threat facing Pashtuns and Baloch people comes from Punjab. He also accused Pakistan's government and military of carrying out airstrikes and drone attacks, enforced disappearances and targeted killings, and of imprisoning political leaders, saying people in Pashtun- and Baloch-majority areas have suffered heavily as a result of these policies. Manzoor Pashteen wrote on Facebook: 'The Punjabi army, which is responsible for the killing of millions of people from subjugated nations, and Punjabi politicians, who formulate policies aimed at stripping subjugated nations of their history, culture and even language, Punjab, as the source and center of these policies, has no right to complain to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa about Colonel Imam's training camps, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa itself has suffered from the policies of the Punjab army.' Sohail Khan Afridi, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also accused Maryam Nawaz of portraying the people of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan as terrorists, saying she had described India as a friend while portraying them as a threat. Sohail Khan Afridi said: 'These Pakistanis, these people, will do anything for their personal interests. They can label you a terrorist and have you killed. They can open fire on peaceful protests. They can even sell Pakistan.' Idris Mohammadi Zazi, a political analyst, said: 'The insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the deteriorating security situation there are the result of the policies of the Pakistani state. Pashtuns there are safe neither in their homes, nor on the streets, nor in mosques.' Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said Punjab faces greater security threats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan than from neighboring countries, and that terrorism enters Punjab through the borders of these provinces. She also said that despite these threats, Punjab remains secure and that authorities have increased the use of technology and surveillance along provincial borders to strengthen security.View the discussion thread.Sign up to receive the best of Tolo News daily