A day after the government imposed governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar defended the move, saying it was not politically motivated but instead taken to curb terrorism.
DPM Dar made the comments while addressing a seminar in Islamabad, a day after the federal government imposed emergency under Article 232 and the governor’s rule under Article 234 in KP.
The Cabinet recommended the move, citing the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism”.
Referring to “recent developments” in the country, Dar said, “It is not a political move; it is surely against the menace of terrorism which that province (KP) has been hit with in the past decade and a half.”
He asked if the Centre could “keep sleeping and looking towards one another because it may be deemed as a political move?
“No, it is not. I can guarantee you.”
Dar recalled that he negotiated with PTI in 2014 during a sit-in in Islamabad.
Defending the move further, Dar held it was the federal government’s responsibility to take such steps “once it is totally determined that there is no solution other than what we have done yesterday”.
He stressed that the ruling party PML-N bore a “heavy political cost” when the country was on the brink of default in 2022.
Dar recalled that the government had to take difficult structural measures. “Political cost was paid, unpopularity was there, and we recovered a lot because we saved the country from the brink of default.”
Dar said the government “had no choice but to take the measures we took yesterday, and we will implement it in totality”.
He hoped the progress would show in the time ahead.
“I am sure the province will be quite happy to see peace restored, their lives are safe and the radicalisation [will end].
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also spoke at the seminar and defended the federal government’s actions.
Following the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in KP, the federal government also authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in the province.
On the ground, shipping containers were placed around the city of Peshawar to block several roads, with heavy police deployment.
On Sunday, federal ministers alleged that the PTI-led government in KP had a “nexus” with terrorist groups, as the Centre explained that the province’s security situation necessitated the imposition of emergency there.
The Centre and the PTI have been at odds over various issues, particularly on the counterterrorism policy, which was one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their October 3 talks.
The previous night, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had posted on X along the same lines, saying that the decision was “neither a political decision nor an easy step”.
He added, “It was a difficult CONSTITUTIONAL course made necessary by the circumstances on the ground.
“When every avenue for cooperation has been exhausted, the Constitution and Pakistan should be the priority.”
He reiterated that the government and its allies had “exhausted every avenue of parliamentary engagement, direct dialogue and back channel diplomacy”.
“KP has borne a heavy burden of terrorism and our security forces and civilians have made immense sacrifices. In these circumstances, cooperation should have been the priority,” Naqvi said.
Pakistan’s desire for peace must not be misconstrued as weakness: Tarar
Tarar, in his address, spoke of counterterrorism, particularly the threat emanating from Afghan soil.
He said that Pakistan wanted peaceful coexistence with Afghanistan, but went on to warn that the country’s desire for peace must not be “misconstrued as weakness”.
Tarar said Pakistan had been at the forefront of the war against terrorism, paying a heavy price in terms of human lives and economic losses.
“No other nation in the world can say that it has lost more than 90,000 lives in the war against terrorism,” he said, adding that Pakistan had suffered economic losses exceeding $100 billion.
“When we represent Pakistan at conferences like this one, we stand before you as ambassadors of peace,” he said, describing Pakistan as a symbol of defiance against violent extremism and resilience against terrorism.
He said Pakistan had acted as a shield between terrorists and the rest of the world, adding that the sacrifices made by Pakistanis in the fight against terrorism contributed to global peace.
“When a Pakistani lays down his or her life fighting terrorism, it is not only to make Pakistan a safer place, but also to contribute to global peace,” he said.
Tarar said Pakistan’s recent role in mediating between the United States and Iran had demonstrated its commitment to peace. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, DPM Dar and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had made immense efforts to facilitate the mediation process, which had received international recognition.
Given its strategic location and shared border with Afghanistan, Pakistan had always sought regional stability, he said, adding that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would promote trade with Central Asia, attract foreign investment and strengthen regional cooperation and connectivity.
He said Pakistan had participated in negotiations and engaged with the Afghan interim government to convey its desire for peace and prosperity in the region, particularly in Afghanistan. However, he added, Pakistan’s advice had “fallen on deaf ears”.
Tarar said Pakistan had hosted more than four million Afghan refugees for over four decades and had paid a high price for its generosity. He regretted that Pakistan’s hospitality had not been reciprocated.
He alleged that Afghanistan’s interim rulers believed in violence and extremism, adding that terrorist safe havens existed across the border.
Citing United Nations and independent assessments, he said more than 6,000 Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists were estimated to be present in Afghanistan, with the total number of terrorists exceeding 20,000.
Since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, the TTP has continued to exploit Afghan territory for recruitment, training, facilitation and planning attacks against Pakistan, he said.
Pakistan had responded to these attacks because it could not allow terrorists to use safe havens in Afghanistan to target the country, he added.
Tarar also criticised the restrictions imposed on Afghan women, particularly the denial of their right to education and economic empowerment and their exclusion from the workforce. He said the regime’s interpretation of Islam had led to the denial of basic rights to women and minorities and promoted violent extremism.
Referring to a recent visit to Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a terrorist attack had taken place, he said he had met injured people at the Combined Military Hospital.
Tarar also referred to the 38th report of the United Nations Monitoring Team, which he said had recorded the relocation of nearly 2,000 family members of TTP terrorists from border areas to locations deeper inside Afghanistan.
“If Afghanistan continues to provide safe havens to these terrorists, how can peace be achieved?” he asked.
He said Pakistan would achieve peace and eradicate terrorism not only within its borders but across the region.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP, that are used for attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.
According to a UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report — covering the period from Dec 16, 2025 to June 9, 2026 — Afghan Taliban’s continued support for TTP has contributed to a rise in the frequency and lethality of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, even as Kabul has taken some initial steps to rein in the group.