Information Minister Atta Tarar on Saturday accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of acting as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) “B team”. He said the party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had failed to address terrorism and had put political activity ahead of governance.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Co-Ordinator to the Prime Minister for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs, Tarar said: “They have always been the TTP’s B team. I say this openly.” He criticised successive PTI-led provincial governments over their handling of security and development. Tarar did not present supporting evidence during his remarks.
Tarar accuses PTI of enabling militants in KP
Tarar alleged that PTI had facilitated the return of militants to settled areas after military operations had cleared them. He named Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad as the operations concerned, and said the party’s approach had emboldened militants to carry out attacks in Kohat, Hangu and Dera Ismail Khan.
“It is because you brought them back and resettled them,” he said, holding PTI responsible for the attacks. Tarar referred to the deaths of security personnel and rescue workers, as well as the killing of a child in an attack on the Aman Mela checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan. He also offered condolences over the death of police constable Faheemullah, who was killed in Kohat.
Tarar questioned whether the chief minister and his cabinet bore responsibility for the bloodshed, and accused them of maintaining ties with militants. He also drew comparisons between PTI and the Taliban, citing restrictions on women under Taliban rule and asking whether such an ideology should be imposed on KP. “Your political interests are dearer to you than the national interest,” he said.
Governance, IT Park and counterterrorism funding
Tarar said KP had once been a source of pride and a peaceful destination for tourists, but alleged that 13.5 years of PTI-led provincial rule had taken the province “to the Stone Age”. He contrasted this with initiatives undertaken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including the inauguration of an IT Park in Islamabad.
According to Tarar, the project had been stalled before being revived to provide incubation centres, startup facilities and IT skills training for university students, with the aim of increasing exports and supporting economic growth. He questioned how much time Chief Minister Sohail Afridi devoted to governance, claiming he had spent “zero point zero hours” on it.
Tarar alleged that the provincial government had not installed safe-city cameras in districts, while other provinces had taken such measures. “You did not install them because you ate up that money,” he said. He claimed the province had received Rs700 billion during PTI’s tenure for development and security projects, but alleged that the money had been spent on protests instead.
Tarar also said that, despite substantial federal funding through the National Finance Commission (NFC), the provincial government had not invested adequately in counterterrorism capacity. He questioned the state of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), forensic facilities and police resources. “The biggest prison in which you have confined the people of KP is the prison of terrorists,” he said.
Wali alleges university, health and tribal district failures
Wali said PTI had promised change within 90 days and a revolution within six months, along with equal standards of justice, education and healthcare. He alleged that the opposite had happened, and claimed that 18 of KP’s 34 universities were on the brink of bankruptcy. “Universities have started shutting down, and there are no vice-chancellors,” he said.
Wali disputed claims by the provincial information minister that several new universities had been established. He said land at sites described as university campuses remained vacant, and added that he had challenged the minister to debate the issue on television. He also alleged that the provincial government had failed to build new hospitals.
On merged tribal districts, Wali said road infrastructure had been developed under earlier PML-N governors, naming Sardar Mehtab Abbasi. He alleged that subsequent governments had failed to build schools, colleges and police stations there. According to Wali, funds promised for the tribal districts were deposited into Account No. 1 and were not spent as intended.
Wali criticised the healthcare system, saying it would need to be rebuilt from scratch. He alleged that Nosherwan Burki, whom he described as Imran Khan’s cousin, had influence over medicine procurement and surgical equipment contracts. He also alleged irregularities in the Sehat Card programme, claiming payments were demanded to secure hospital inclusion. The allegations were not independently verified in the material provided.
Allegations on forests, property and fuel relief
Wali further alleged that forest cover in the province had fallen by 20 per cent, and claimed that a former provincial forest minister had enabled extensive tree-cutting. He also alleged that money intended for education, police and healthcare had been used by PTI figures to acquire expensive properties, including a palace in Swat and the Serena Hotel in Peshawar. He claimed PTI had paid around 30,000 to 35,000 social media influencers a monthly stipend of Rs50,000. These claims were made by Wali and were not independently verified.
Tarar also defended the federal government’s fuel relief scheme, saying 10 million unique registrants had benefited. He said repeated token redemptions were counted separately and that changes had been made in response to public feedback. He added that the minimum fuel requirement had been removed and the age limit for motorcycles had been raised from 15 to 20 years.
Tarar further criticised former prime minister Imran Khan’s record, claiming he had held 25 meetings with spokespersons and had spent limited time at his office. He cited these claims to contrast PTI’s approach to governance with the federal government’s development initiatives.
