ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday defended the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), saying the federal government faced a choice between witnessing daily casualties in terrorist attacks and taking what he called a “difficult decision”.
“We had two options: either we witness martyrdoms on a daily basis or take a difficult decision,” Naqvi said at a press conference in Islamabad alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
He said the decision followed growing security concerns in the province. According to Naqvi, the federal government had spent more than a month trying to secure the cooperation of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial administration in the fight against terrorism.
“Today was not an easy day for us,” he said, adding that he had personally remained in contact with provincial officials behind the scenes.
“Our objective was to bring them on board so that we could fight the war against terrorism together,” the interior minister added.
Naqvi Says Terrorism, Not PTI Protest, Was the Main Concern
Naqvi said the federal government had no issue with the PTI’s sit-in and could handle the protest.
“Our issue is terrorism,” he said.
He maintained that the government had remained in contact with PTI leaders until around 11:45pm and had sought their response to proposed changes in a draft agreement.
“I called them at around 11:45pm and asked them to respond so that this situation could be avoided,” he said.
Naqvi added that 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. However, he said, the government received no response.
The interior minister said the federal government had previously held two days of negotiations with the PTI. During those talks, he claimed, PTI leader Asad Qaiser had expressed his party’s willingness to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
According to Naqvi, officials revised the draft three times and made a fourth revision at the PTI’s request.
“When the fourth draft was finalised, they backed out,” he claimed.
Naqvi also said he had held several meetings with KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He maintained that the discussions focused exclusively on terrorism, with no political matters raised.
Government Claims Earlier Agreement on Emergency
Naqvi said the federal and provincial governments had agreed four months ago to strengthen police capacity in five districts. He added that the Centre had offered to address a funding shortfall raised by Afridi.
The interior minister further claimed that the provincial side had agreed during the first round of negotiations to the imposition of emergency in 12 districts.
He described the security situation in those areas as “very bad” and questioned why the PTI had taken its long march through the affected districts.
Naqvi maintained that the government’s position was clear: terrorism should not be linked to political disputes.
Tarar Says Terrorism Incidents in KP Rose 196%
Speaking at the same press conference, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said terrorist incidents in KP had increased by 196%. He described the figure as the “most alarming” aspect of the situation.
Tarar said terrorism had become a routine occurrence in the province and accused the provincial government of prioritising politics over public safety.
He added that the federal cabinet had considered the circumstances in KP before deciding to impose emergency measures. The KP governor had also conveyed what Tarar described as “very concerning” developments to the Centre.
“Such steps are not taken happily,” the law minister said, arguing that emergency powers should be exercised in the interest of national security.
Tarar said President Asif Ali Zardari had acted under the Constitution by exercising the powers provided in Articles 232 and 234.
He further said the provincial government had ceased to function under the emergency arrangements and that the governor had been empowered to administer the province on behalf of the federation.
According to Tarar, an 11-member advisory council would assist the governor. A separate secretariat had also been established for 12 districts severely affected by terrorism.
Attaullah Tarar Alleges Links Between Former KP Government and Militants
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the former provincial government of having a “nexus” with terrorists. He also alleged that it had effectively “outsourced” some districts to militant groups.
Tarar claimed there was “irrefutable evidence” that the provincial government was pushing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa towards destruction.
He said the advisory council would include technocrats and other members, including 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 and Samar Haroon Bilour.
The allegations made by the federal ministers were presented at the press conference as the government’s justification for the emergency measures.
