PESHAWAR, Sept 10: The 9/11 attacks in New York and the subsequent US action in Afghanistan totally changed the scenario in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), said Provincial Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Saturday. Talking to Dawn on the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 incident, he put the blame for surge in terrorism equally on the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the three main players trying to control the militancy.

“The mistrust among these three countries has strengthened terrorists. The acts of violence paved the way for an endless series of terrorism, which killed an estimated 35,000 civilians and 3,000 personnel of security forces,” he said.

He said that all the players in the crisis, including the US and Pakistan, should give up their dual policies if they were sincere in resolving the 30-year-old imbroglio in the region.

Mr Hussain was elected in 1990, 1993 and 2008 as a member of the provincial assembly. He was made minister of information, culture, transport and inter-provincial coordination in 2008. “Terrorists have so far blown up 2,000 music shops and destroyed over 800 schools, leaving about 100,000 male and female students without education facilities,” he said.

The information minister whose lone son Mian Rashid Hussain, 26, was killed by militants in his native Pabbi village in Nowshera district in July 2010, is undeterred by the threats hurled at him, saying “The fight against terrorists will continue till their elimination because we are concerned about the safety of our people, our country and our region.”

“Had I 10 sons, I would have sacrificed all of them for the sake of my country,” he said when asked if he had any fear about his own life after the assassination of his son.

He asserted that the terrorists who would lay down arms and denounce terrorism would be forgiven, but those challenging the government's writ would be dealt with an iron hand.

On March 23, 2011, President Asif Zardari conferred Hilal-i-Imtiaz on Mian Iftikhar Hussain for his showing gallantry against militants.

The minister recalled that the US should not have left Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal, as this gave an opportunity to the terrorists to establish themselves as a force in Afghanistan the brunt of which was still borne by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fata and Afghanistan.

“We have long been asking the US and Nato to leave Afghanistan and let the people decide about their future,” he said and added that the UN, US and Nato should oversee the peace process in Afghanistan and play the role of guarantors.

He said that about 500 workers, including two lawmakers, of his party had been killed by Taliban in the past three years, but the government was determined to eliminate militancy.

He said that after Osama bin Laden's assassination, the wave of terrorist strikes had increased, as the Taliban were targeting mosques, funeral ceremonies and market places in an effort to kill as many people as possible.

He said that Pakistan must stop the policies of Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf and should revisit its policy regarding the war against terrorism.

He rejected the US notion of good and bad Taliban, saying that 'talking to them (Taliban) means talking to animals and they would never understand through talks,” he said.

Mr Hussain said that China, India and Iran should also play their constructive role in resolution of the ongoing conflict, which had gripped the entire region. “If practical measures are not initiated now, it would be very difficult for the US and others to stem the tide of terrorism and there is more likelihood that 9/11-like attacks can take place again,” he feared.