Karachi: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stated that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sohail Afridi, is a coward who is unwilling to defend his own land. He emphasized that the PPP’s stance is clear: new provinces can be established through constitutional and legal means.

Regarding Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, he noted that while the Maulana is free to offer political criticism, he ought to have spoken out unequivocally against terrorists. Addressing an event marking the 19th anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy—which occurred on October 18—he paid tribute to the martyrs of the incident. He described October 18 as a dark day in the nation’s history, recalling the cowardly attempt to target Shaheed Benazir Bhutto through terrorism upon her return to the country.

He highlighted that the party loyalists (*jiyalas*) who had gathered to welcome her sacrificed their own lives to protect their leader. The blood of the Karsaz martyrs bears witness that terrorism, extremism, and violence cannot shake the commitment to democracy. The Pakistan Peoples Party will continue its struggle to strengthen democratic institutions, uphold the Constitution, and safeguard the rights of the people. He stated that PPP workers consider it their duty to fight against terrorism. He recalled that in her final public address, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had pointed out that certain forces did not want to see the writ of the Pakistani state established in Swat.

When the PPP formed the government in 2008, it launched operations in Swat and KP, thereby fulfilling Benazir Bhutto’s promise. By confronting terrorism, the party succeeded in defeating the terrorists—achieving what the combined military might of the entire world could not accomplish in Afghanistan.