Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said that the federal government is considering imposing an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Speaking to the media, he accused the KP government of not cooperating with the federal government in the fight against terrorism.
He said the current situation in the province requires serious action. He also claimed that the KP government was not supporting state institutions in efforts to deal with terrorism.
According to the minister, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is also not cooperating with efforts to stop terrorism.
Why is the federal government considering an emergency?
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said three provinces are following Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan. However, he claimed that the KP government is not cooperating with the federal government on the issue.
He said the federal government is seriously looking at the option of imposing an emergency in KP.
The minister had earlier said that any decision about an emergency or governor’s rule would be linked to the province’s security situation. He said it should not be linked only to PTI’s long march.
Why did talks between the government and opposition fail?
The minister said recent talks between the government and opposition did not move forward for two main reasons.
He said the opposition team did not have full authority to make decisions. According to him, the KP government had the main authority on some of the issues.
He added that members of the opposition team had also said that some demands were beyond their authority.
The second reason was a difference in the priorities of the two sides, he said.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry claimed that PTI’s main focus was politics and its founder Imran Khan. He said there was no personal enmity between him and the PTI founder.
He added that the doors for talks between political parties are always open. However, he did not expect talks to restart in the near future.
What did the minister say about PTI’s long march?
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad.
His comments come as tensions remain between the federal and KP governments over security issues and PTI’s long march.
Recent talks between the government and opposition also reached a deadlock after the two sides failed to agree on key issues.
