ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to clarify its position amid a recent rise in terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accusing the party’s provincial government of failing to take effective action against militancy.
Addressing a press conference alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry in Islamabad, Tarar questioned whether PTI stood with Pakistan or Afghanistan.
The minister alleged that the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had refused to take ownership of counterterrorism operations and had not taken sufficient steps to address the security situation in the province.
Tarar repeats allegations against PTI
Tarar accused PTI of facilitating militants and repeated his description of the party as a “B-team” of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“I said in KP that their intentions are bad,” Tarar said, adding that he had been making similar allegations for years.
He claimed that PTI had facilitated terrorists over the past 12 years and argued that more than enough time had passed for the provincial government to improve the situation.
“12 and a half years are enough” to change the conditions of any province, he said.
Tarar also accused the KP government of failing to adequately address terrorism while not providing basic services to residents, alleging that people from the province were being forced to seek essential facilities elsewhere.
Dispute over KP police and counterterrorism
The information minister said the federal government had offered modern vehicles to the KP police but claimed the offer was rejected.
He alleged that PTI leadership had left the provincial police “at the mercy of terrorists” and criticised the provincial government’s response to recent incidents involving cross-border firing from Afghanistan.
Tarar said the federal government’s position was that terrorism must be eliminated “from its roots.”
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His remarks come amid a broader dispute between the federal government and the PTI-led KP administration over responsibility for maintaining law and order and conducting counterterrorism operations.
The federal government has made similar allegations in recent days, while PTI and the KP government have disputed the government’s characterisation of their policies and performance.
Security situation remains tense
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a series of attacks and security incidents in recent weeks, prompting increased tensions between Islamabad and the provincial government.
Tarar has also previously accused the KP government of failing to condemn attacks and alleged that militants have been facilitated in the province. Those claims are part of an ongoing political dispute between the federal government and PTI.
Pakistan has also reported security incidents involving drones launched from Afghanistan and has said it carried out strikes against locations in Afghanistan in response. Afghan authorities have disputed aspects of Pakistan’s claims and condemned the strikes.
In his latest remarks, Tarar said the government remained committed to combating terrorism and criticised what he described as the provincial leadership’s focus on securing the release of a prisoner rather than addressing the security situation.
