Federal ministers on Tuesday defended the imposition of emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the move was taken under the Constitution in response to rising terrorism and the failure of efforts to reach an agreement with the provincial government on a joint counterterrorism strategy.
Addressing a news conference for foreign media representatives, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the federal government had made repeated attempts to secure cooperation from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government, but the talks failed to produce a final agreement.
“One country cannot have two policies on terrorism,” the ministers said, arguing that federal and provincial authorities needed to coordinate their efforts to address the security situation.
During the talks between the government and opposition last week, the PTI had insisted that counterterrorism measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be based on a joint agreement between federal and provincial governments, involving consultation with political parties in the provincial assembly.
While “committed” to eliminating terrorism, PTI had opposed “collateral damage” like civilian deaths and displacement, and “blind operations”. They had advocated for policies supported by local communities, based on ground intelligence, and incorporating recommendations from a KP Assembly jirga. This had conflicted with the government’s demand for the provincial government to own unilateral federal actions.
On imposition of emergency, Azam Tarar said President Asif Ali Zardari had imposed emergency rule under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution on the prime minister’s advice. He said the provisions provided a constitutional mechanism for dealing with extraordinary circumstances and that the decision was driven by security concerns rather than political considerations.
The law minister cited official figures showing 2,911 terrorist incidents in KP between 2021 and 2024, saying the number had subsequently risen to around 8,600, an increase of nearly 200%. He said the figures had been shared with the federal government and the Prime Minister’s Office by various state institutions. However, the briefing did not clarify the full duration of the later period or provide a detailed breakdown of the figures.
He said security personnel, police, government employees, religious scholars and civilians had been targeted in attacks, adding that an effective response required coordination and information-sharing among relevant institutions.
The minister said the federal government had also pursued political negotiations to resolve differences with the KP government. A committee involving representatives of the PTI, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had been formed, with the National Assembly speaker facilitating the talks. Although progress had been made on several issues, the negotiations failed to reach a final agreement, he said.
The information minister said the federal government had not sought to restrict the PTI’s political march or other political demands, but argued that differences over counterterrorism policy could undermine national security.
He said Islamabad had urged Afghanistan’s interim government through diplomatic channels to prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan and to eliminate safe havens for militant groups. He also alleged that the KP government’s position on Afghanistan had complicated efforts to reach a common strategy.
Attaullah presented figures that he said showed 3,774 terrorist incidents in KP in 2025 and 2,857 up to September 2026. He said the incidents resulted in 3,512 deaths in 2025 and 2,775 deaths during the first nine months of 2026. He also claimed that terrorism-related fatalities and attacks targeting police had increased significantly, including a 168% rise in attacks on police personnel between March 2024 and September 2026. The briefing did not provide a detailed methodology for these comparisons.
The information minister questioned whether sufficient steps had been taken to strengthen the provincial Counter Terrorism Department, install surveillance cameras under Safe City projects, establish a forensic laboratory and equip police with modern technology. He said vehicle registration systems could also help investigators trace vehicles used in attacks.
He further alleged that illegal trade and cross-border smuggling involving minerals, timber, tobacco, gold and precious stones had provided financial or other support to militant groups.
Attaullah said the federal government had also established a new administrative and development framework for 12 districts of KP, to be called the Area Representative and Development Council. He said the structure would include a chairperson, vice-chairperson, members and a spokesperson, with Additional Chief Secretary Yahya Akhunzada serving as administrator.
The proposed framework would also involve police, law-enforcement agencies and officials dealing with counter-narcotics, legal affairs, tribal matters and human rights. The minister said its composition would take regional, tribal and gender representation into account.
The ministers said the emergency measures were intended to improve security and service delivery in the province. Their defence of the decision came amid political differences between the federal government and the PTI-led administration over responsibility for the worsening security situation and the approach to counterterrorism.