Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Monday criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government for its lack of cooperation with the federal government in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Speaking at the Parliament House in Islamabad, he highlighted that the PTI-led provincial administration’s disengagement from counterterrorism operations was significantly undermining national efforts to combat the threat.
Chaudhry further accused the KP government of failing to support state institutions, pointing out that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was not collaborating effectively in anti-terrorism initiatives. He noted that while three other provinces were aligned with Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan, KP remained an exception, refusing to follow the federal stance.
These remarks followed recent comments by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who challenged the PTI to clarify its position amid a surge in terror attacks across KP. Tarar had previously condemned the provincial government for not taking ownership of counterterrorism measures, labeling PTI as a “B-team” for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) due to alleged facilitation of terrorists over the past 12 years.
In a significant development, Chaudhry revealed that the federal government was contemplating declaring an emergency in KP given the deteriorating security situation. This comes amid a deadlock in fresh government-opposition talks aimed at preventing PTI’s planned long march to Islamabad on October 4. The negotiations, held between Saturday night and Sunday, collapsed without agreement on critical issues, with both sides blaming each other for the failure.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused the KP Chief Minister of attempting to derail the dialogue process, while PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja attributed the breakdown to the federal government’s demand that the KP government take responsibility for all anti-terrorism operations initiated unilaterally by the Centre.
Meanwhile, PTI proceeded with its long march towards Islamabad. Chaudhry commented that the opposition’s focus remained on political agendas centered around PTI’s founder, whom he identified as his political rival but denied any personal animosity. He acknowledged past meetings with the PTI leader and affirmed that dialogue channels remained open, though he expressed skepticism about the near-term resumption of talks.
Chaudhry cited two main reasons for the failure of negotiations: the opposition delegation lacked decision-making authority, as all power resided with the KP government, and there was a fundamental difference in priorities between the parties. He also warned that the government would not permit the march to enter Islamabad under any circumstances.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif emphasized that the conflict between the presidency and KP was rooted in terrorism, not politics. He shared alarming statistics on social media, noting that over the past two years, KP had experienced approximately 6,200 terrorist incidents, 1,200 fatalities, and 37 suicide attacks, many attributed to Afghan nationals. This year alone, 14 suicide attacks have occurred, predominantly involving Afghan perpetrators.
Asif also pointed out that while funding was adequate, corruption and poor governance in KP severely limited the effectiveness of counterterrorism efforts.
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