Pakistan's Punjab Province Faces More Security Threats from Neighboring Provinces than India and Afghanistan

Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, admitted on Saturday that Punjab faces more security threats from its neighbouring provinces than from its neighbours (India, Afghanistan). Terrorist activities have increased in Pakistan over the past few years, especially in the Punjab-adjacent provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Referring to the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at an event in Lahore, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said, "Terrorism in Punjab is penetrating through the borders of neighbouring provinces. Sadly, Punjab, with a population of 130 million, is less threatened by neighbouring countries and more by neighbouring states. Terrorism comes to Punjab from there. Thank God Punjab is safe. The threats we face are because of our neighbouring provinces." The leader of the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which leads the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, described Asad's remarks as "insulting."