ISLAMABAD: Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday welcomed the federal government’s decision to impose an emergency and Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), arguing that the measures would help rid the province of terrorism.
Speaking at a seminar on terrorism held in Islamabad, Tarar said the steps taken a day earlier would give the province’s residents the means to confront militancy and restore calm and stability.
Tarar links militancy toll to regional diplomacy
Tarar said the country has spent several decades combating militancy, losing more than 90,000 lives along the way. He added that Pakistan’s facilitation of US-Iran negotiations had shown it to be a peace-loving state that prefers dialogue to resolve disputes.
The minister also stressed that a calm, steady Afghanistan is vital for the whole region, claiming better stability would boost trade and bilateral ties. He pointed to recent terrorist attacks on Pakistan, saying the state had responded to these threats while staying faithful to peaceful coexistence.
Tarar further said the people of KP want an end to terrorism and deserve development, prosperity, security and durable peace. He questioned how terrorism could ever be eliminated while Afghanistan continued to back militant groups.
Ishaq Dar defends emergency as unavoidable step
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, addressing the same seminar, said the federal government had no alternative but to impose the emergency and Governor’s Rule because of the deteriorating security situation and the ongoing threat posed by terrorism.
Dar said the decision was not driven by politics but was a response to the terrorism that had troubled the province for the past ten years. He called it a difficult step and said protecting the lives and safety of citizens is the government’s obligation.
He maintained that the measures had no real substitute and said the government would carry them out in full, with results expected to become visible in the months ahead.
