Federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Mohsin Naqvi, Attaullah Tarar address a press conference on K-P emergency
Federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Mohsin Naqvi, Attaullah Tarar address a press conference on K-P emergency. Photo: Screengrab
ISLAMABAD:
Federal ministers on Sunday said the government spent a month trying to bring the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government on board before the imposition of emergency in the province, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi outlining efforts to engage the provincial administration and opposition.
President Zardari signed off on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recommendation to impose emergency rule in K-P amid a deteriorating security situation and the provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other officials, Tarar said President Asif Ali Zardari had declared an emergency under Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of the Constitution.
Azam said Naqvi would explain the circumstances that led to the decision.
Naqvi said the day had been difficult and outlined the government’s efforts to establish contact with the K-P government over the preceding month.
“I would certainly like to explain the background. Today has not been an easy day,” Naqvi said, adding that efforts had continued for a month to bring the K-P government on board.
He said he had personally remained in contact with the provincial government during the process, while discussions were also taking place over the planned long march and other matters.
Naqvi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been scheduled to leave for New York on September 17 and that it had been decided he would meet the opposition before departing.
He said the government had decided to form a committee and arrange a meeting on September 15 or 16, but received no response. Despite that, he said, contacts continued.
Naqvi said a meeting had also taken place between the president and the prime minister, during which he suggested bringing the K-P government on board.
He added that a draft was revised four times the following day, but when the matter appeared to have been finalised, the government learned that a new draft had arrived.
Naqvi said the government had made repeated attempts to reach an understanding with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, with the final contact taking place at 11.45pm the previous night. “I told them that even at that point, something could still be done, but there was no response,” he said.
He said the government had proposed a paragraph during negotiations but received no reply. He added that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Naqvi said the government had never demanded that PTI call off its planned sit-in, adding that its primary concern had been terrorism. “Our issue was only terrorism,” he said, adding that the government had remained in contact with PTI leaders and had itself initiated contact with the party on previous occasions.
He said the condition to postpone the sit-in had come from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), not his ministry. Naqvi said the security situation in K-P had deteriorated significantly, with people in some districts unable to venture outdoors after evening.
He also referred to the death of an Election Commission official the previous day, citing it as an indication of the security challenges facing the province. The interior minister said he had held several meetings with K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, during which terrorism had been the main subject of discussion.
According to Naqvi, he had asked Afridi about plans to strengthen police in affected districts. He said the chief minister had cited a lack of funds, to which he had responded that the federal government would provide the required resources. Naqvi further claimed that provincial representatives had agreed during negotiations that emergency measures should be introduced in certain districts.
He said the government had struggled to secure public support for its position and claimed that provincial representatives had reservations about having photographs of meetings released publicly. Naqvi said he had never asked them to pose for photographs or make them public.
The minister said the federal government could not continue losing security personnel to terrorism while the provincial government failed to take ownership of the fight. “Terrorism cannot be fought alone under any circumstances; it requires a collective effort,” he said.
Naqvi described the emergency as a difficult decision taken after repeated attempts to avert the situation. He claimed that 518 police personnel had been killed over the preceding 18 months.
He said the situation could have been different if the provincial government had agreed to the proposals the previous night, adding that the federal government had been compelled to take the measures.
Law Minister Azam said the prime minister had briefed President Asif Ali Zardari on the circumstances outlined by the interior minister. He said the K-P governor had submitted a report to the federal government as part of his constitutional responsibilities.
Azam claimed that terrorist incidents in the province had increased by 196 per cent over the preceding two to two-and-a-half years, adding that casualties and damage to vehicles had also risen. He said attacks on security forces, police personnel and religious leaders had increased.
The law minister maintained that the president had acted within the Constitution, arguing that the federal government could intervene in provincial affairs when the law and order situation warranted such action.
He said the president had declared the emergency on the prime minister’s advice. Azam also said the provincial government had been rendered inactive under the measures and that the governor had been directed to exercise his constitutional powers.
He said an 11-member advisory committee had been formed and a secretariat established for 12 districts, from where reports would be sent directly to the federal government.
According to Azam, a council had also been established, with the additional chief secretary to oversee its functioning. He added that officials holding relevant positions had been rendered inactive and that the military had been deployed under Article 245 of the Constitution.
Information Minister Attaullah, meanwhile, said that the K-P government had an alliance with terrorists, accusing it of empowering people responsible for attacks on civilians and Pakistan’s armed forces.
He said reports from intelligence agencies and law enforcement bodies had highlighted a grave security situation in the province. Attaullah claimed that political leaders from various parties had been targeted in attacks in K-P and terrorists were being provided secure passage because of their links with the provincial government.
Recounting a visit to a hospital in Kohat, the information minister said he had met injured people who had asked authorities to protect them from the terrorists. He accused those responsible for security in the province of making terrorists their partners rather than confronting them.
