ISLAMABAD: Federal ministers on Sunday defended the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), citing a worsening security situation and a reported 196% increase in terrorist incidents, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi saying the government had to choose between witnessing “daily martyrdoms” and taking a difficult decision.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Naqvi said the federal government had made efforts to reach an agreement with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government to jointly address terrorism.
“We had two options: either we witness martyrdoms on a daily basis or take a difficult decision,” Naqvi said, describing the day as a difficult one for the government.
He maintained that the federal government had no objection to the PTI’s sit-in, stressing that its primary concern was the deteriorating security situation.
“Our issue is terrorism,” he said.
Government Claims Negotiations With PTI Failed
Naqvi said he had remained in contact with the provincial government behind the scenes in an effort to secure its cooperation in counterterrorism efforts.
According to the interior minister, negotiations continued until around 11:45pm, with the federal government seeking a response from the PTI on proposed amendments to a draft agreement.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as part of efforts to resolve the matter, but the government did not receive the response it had sought.
Naqvi claimed that the federal government held two days of negotiations with the PTI and revised the draft several times at the party’s request.
He said the provincial side initially agreed to certain measures before withdrawing its support when the fourth version of the draft was finalised.
The interior minister also referred to meetings with KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying the discussions focused exclusively on terrorism rather than political matters.
He added that an agreement had been reached four months earlier to strengthen police capacity in five districts. The federal government, he said, had offered to address funding shortages highlighted by the provincial administration.
Naqvi further claimed that the provincial side had agreed during the first round of negotiations to imposing emergency measures in 12 districts. He questioned why the PTI had subsequently organised a long march through areas he described as severely affected by terrorism.
Terror Incidents in KP Increased by 196%: Law Minister
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said terrorist incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had increased by 196%, describing the rise as one of the most alarming aspects of the security situation.
He argued that terrorism had become a recurring threat in the province and accused the provincial government of prioritising political activities over public safety.
Tarar said the federal cabinet had decided to impose emergency measures after reviewing developments in KP. He added that the provincial governor had also conveyed serious concerns about the security situation to the federal government.
“Such steps are not taken happily,” the law minister said, defending the move as necessary in the interest of national security.
He maintained that the president had exercised constitutional powers under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
According to Tarar, the emergency framework would place the province’s administration under the governor, who would be supported by an 11-member advisory council.
He also said a separate secretariat had been established to oversee matters relating to 12 districts described by the government as severely affected by terrorism.
Attaullah Tarar Accuses PTI Government of Terrorist ‘Nexus’
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the former PTI-led provincial government of maintaining a “nexus” with terrorists, alleging that authorities had effectively allowed militants to exercise control over certain districts.
He claimed there was “irrefutable evidence” that the provincial government was pushing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa towards destruction.
The allegations were made as federal ministers defended the emergency decision and presented it as a response to worsening security conditions in the province.
The ministers’ statements represent the federal government’s position on the issue, while the claims concerning the PTI government’s alleged links with terrorists were not independently established in the account of the press conference.
Who Will Be on the KP Emergency Advisory Council?
Attaullah Tarar said the proposed 11-member advisory council would include technocrats and other professionals tasked with assisting the governor.
The announced members are:
- Lt Gen (retd) Nigar Johar
- Kifayatullah Khan
- Tariq Mahmood Pasha
- Aamir Javed
- Dr Aamir Abdullah
- Dr Sarfaraz Ali Shah
- Dr Muhammad Irshad
- Asif Rafiq Afridi
- Tayyab Qureshi
- Usman Saifullah Khan
- Samar Haroon Bilour
The federal government has defended the emergency as a necessary response to escalating militancy, while the dispute with the PTI-led provincial leadership centres on the proposed measures, responsibility for the deteriorating security situation and the administration of the affected districts.
