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Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Friday said extortion calls from Afghanistan were the failure of the central government, adding that he had not paid any extortion money nor had anyone asked him to.

Mahmood made the comments during a media briefing in Gabin Jabb area of ​​Swat city during his first visit to the district since huge protests against militancy.

The Chief Minister"s statement comes just days after a letter was sent to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and K-P Science and Technology Minister Atif Khan demanding payment of Rs 8 crore.

The minister reportedly received a letter from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The letter also threatened Atif with assassination if payment was not made within three days.

Talking to the media today about the recent unrest in the valley, the Chief Minister said that there will be no compromise on the issue of peace and that the government and the people will fight together.

“I have faced criticism but Mehmood Khan will never back down. We will not allow anyone to politicize peace," he added.

The minister further said that the wave of unrest "has been widespread", adding that if there is peace, there will be development and prosperity in the province.

The provincial chief executive went on to attack the central government, accusing it of "disturbing public order".

“With the advent of the imported government, public order was disrupted and our share of the budget was stopped. My question is, isn"t K-P a part of Pakistan?” Mahmood asked.

He also said that he will not let the work done in four years be "ruined".

Mahmood further said that after the "absolutely not" slogan, PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan was removed from office by regime change.

"They only want those who have an "absolute yes", which are imported government people," he added.

The chief minister also commented on the verdict in PTI chief Toshakhan"s case to be delivered today, saying it was baseless and not the mandate of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

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“Imran Khan built the road with the money collected from Toshakhana,” the minister said.

Winter hiking in the Svát valley

The Chief Minister also announced the organization of winter tourism in the valley. He said 25 million tourists came to Swat last year and the province earned Rs 66 billion.

He further invited tourists from all over the country and assured them that the valley was peaceful.

“My presence reflects that there is peace in Swat. Peace is restored and I invite tourists from all over Pakistan to come. There is no doubt that the journey of tourism and development will continue," he added.

The K-P CM is on a day-long visit to Swat district and will be briefed on the law and order situation in the valley.

Chief Minister is accompanied by K-P Chief Secretary and IG Police during the visit.