Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur has claimed that Jamat Disadvantaged disadvantage (Jui-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman no longer influences Taliban and offered to take responsibility for negotiations with the group, Express News reported.

He spoke to journalists in Islamabad on Friday and said, “Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s influence on the Taliban has ended. Give me the task – I will bring them to the table.”

He revealed that a plan for conversations with the Taliban had been submitted two and a half months ago, but no progress has been made. “I have sent a plan for negotiations with tribal relatives to the foreign and interior ministries, but have not received an answer. The Taliban cannot deny the oldest of the tribe,” he emphasized.

“If I get the task you see me sitting with [Taliban leader] Akhundzada tomorrow. There has been no contact with the Taliban yet, but send me and conversations begin, ”he claimed.

He also noted that two years ago, when he roamed over the mountains, Taliban leaders were at a low level in contact with Fazlur Rehman, “but today I am minister of chief-and tomorrow I may not have any value.”

When he reflected on the parliamentary elections, he said, “On Election Day we hid in the mountains. We held no public collections. Out of 95 Union Council’s chairmen were only three of ours; the rest were missing.”

Earlier, while approaching an IFTAR collection, Gandapur said the KP government has overcome its financial challenges and currently has a profit of RS159 billion, while Punjab is facing a deficit of RS148 billion.

“There is corruption in our province, but if there was corruption, how could we have a surplus? If this is corruption, each province must have it,” he said.

He called for political stability and said, “The founder of PTI is to be released. Only his release can restore political stability in the country. Things were normal before the PTI government was removed; now terrorism and lawlessness have increased.”

He also emphasized the need for dialogue with Afghanistan. “We share thousands of kilometers border to Afghanistan. Every time I talk about conversations, there is resistance. Even under the PDM government, it was decided to engage in the Taliban.”

Gandapur repeated the need for a national dialogue for the country’s improvement. “No dialogue can happen without the release of the PTI founder. No battle can be won without the support of the people. To win the war against terrorism, public confidence is important – we must move forward with public opinion,” he concluded.