KARACHI – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Sunday that the governor’s rule and emergency imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) could be lifted if the opposition agreed to work with the government on a joint strategy to combat terrorism.
Speaking to the media during a visit to the Karsaz Monument on the 19th anniversary of the Karsaz bombing, Bilawal called for political unity and consensus to address the country’s worsening security challenges.
“If the opposition is ready to fight terrorism and we agree on a plan, then the emergency and governor’s rule in KP can come to an end,” he said, urging opposition parties to engage with the federal government and other political stakeholders to develop a unified counterterrorism policy.
His remarks came a week after the federal government imposed governor’s rule and an emergency in KP, citing what it described as the provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from counterterrorism efforts. The decision followed a mobilisation campaign and protest march by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which governs KP and is in opposition at the federal level, demanding the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan.
Call for a united front against terrorism
Bilawal warned that Pakistan was facing security challenges across multiple regions, saying terrorist attacks were taking place from Khyber to Khuzdar.
Referring to developments following the change of government in Afghanistan in 2021, he criticised the then Pakistani government’s policy of allowing members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to return from Afghanistan and resettle in areas including Swat, Malakand and the former tribal districts.
He also claimed that TTP members who had been imprisoned in Pakistan were released during that period.
“Today, Pakistan is suffering the losses from these wrong decisions,” Bilawal said, arguing that the consequences of those policies had contributed to the current security challenges.
He added that the country was once again facing threats to its stability, with security personnel, law enforcement officials and civilians being targeted in terrorist attacks.
Bilawal criticises KP government’s counterterrorism approach
The PPP chairman criticised the KP government’s response to terrorism, claiming that the province was experiencing the highest number of terrorist incidents while its chief minister, Sohail Afridi, had indicated that he would not confront the militants.
“If the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister was not ready to defend his homeland and fight those terrorists, then the PPP is ready to fight them,” Bilawal said, defending his party’s support for the federal government’s decision to impose governor’s rule in the province.
He maintained that the PPP was prepared to work with all political forces to combat terrorism and stressed that the fight required collective national commitment rather than the efforts of a single party or institution.
Calls for a new National Action Plan
Bilawal said Pakistan’s experience had demonstrated that counterterrorism efforts were most effective when the government, political parties, security institutions and the public worked together.
He recalled that when the PPP was in government in 2008, it had sought to build public support for counterterrorism operations and pursue institutional reforms to address the threat.
He said national unity remained essential to defeating militant groups and warned that the country would struggle to achieve lasting success without a common strategy.
Referring to his recent address to the National Assembly, Bilawal said he had called for a new National Action Plan and a broader political consensus on combating terrorism. He also invited opposition parties to participate in consultations aimed at developing a joint policy.
“If we can create such an environment, we will be in a better position to fight terrorists,” he said.
Opposition urged to participate in electoral reforms
The PPP chairman also discussed efforts to strengthen the democratic system through electoral reforms. He said the federal government had decided to establish an electoral reforms committee and that the opposition had been invited to participate.
“If they say that democracy is weak in this country, then they should help us to strengthen it,” Bilawal said, urging opposition parties to engage constructively with the government on institutional and democratic reforms.
He reiterated that political engagement and consensus were necessary not only to improve democratic institutions but also to develop a coordinated response to terrorism.
Bilawal said the PPP had yet to achieve the Pakistan envisioned by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, but the party continued to work towards that goal.
PPP’s position on the creation of new provinces
Responding to a question about the creation of new provinces or administrative units, Bilawal said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was aware of the positions held by the PPP and President Asif Ali Zardari on the matter.
He clarified that the issue was not one to be decided solely by the president, stressing that any new province should be created in accordance with the Constitution and the law and with the agreement of the relevant provincial assembly.
Bilawal said the PPP supported the creation of new provinces where there was genuine consensus and the proposal was not being used for political purposes.
Citing Gilgit-Baltistan as an example, he referred to the consensus within its legislative assembly on the demand for constitutional rights.
“If we really want this to be implemented, it must only be implemented where the provinces want this,” he said, emphasising that constitutional procedures and the wishes of the relevant regions should guide any such decision.
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