K-P Emergency Has Nothing to Do With PTI's Long March, Says Tariq Fazal

K-P Emergency Has Nothing to Do With PTI’s Long March, Says Tariq Fazal

The federal government’s proposal to impose an emergency in K-P is driven by the province’s deteriorating security situation and has nothing to do with the PTI’s planned long march to Islamabad, the parliamentary affairs minister has said.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told a private television programme on Thursday that postponing the march, scheduled for October 4, would not end the debate over an emergency in the province.

Emergency in K-P driven by security, minister says

The minister attributed the worsening security situation to what he described as the provincial government’s lack of cooperation with the federal government in the fight against terrorism.

“If it is being thought that if the talks result only in postponing the long march, the issue of emergency will be over, then this should be made clear: the long march has nothing to do with the imposition of emergency,” Chaudhry said.

He said discussions on an emergency had begun despite repeated efforts to explain to the provincial government that terrorism was increasing in the province. The provincial government’s refusal to cooperate with the federal government and law enforcement agencies had led to more casualties and made it difficult to bring the situation under full control, he said.

Drawing a comparison with Balochistan, Chaudhry said he regretted the terrorist incident there but noted that the provincial government in Balochistan stood with the federal government in measures to stop terrorism and was on the front line of the fight.

“In K-P, the provincial government is standing like a wall in front of the law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and the federal government’s measures to crush terrorism. It does not cooperate, which is why terrorism cannot be brought under control there,” he said.

He also criticised the PTI’s governance of the province, saying poor administration had fed a growing nexus between terrorism, crime and smuggling, which was indirectly facilitating terrorists.

Chaudhry said all ministers and government spokespersons had maintained that the matter was being seriously considered, and a final decision would be taken after consultations. Work was already under way, including an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of imposing an emergency in K-P.

He added that the PML-N and its main ally, the PPP, had maintained from the outset that resolving grievances through dialogue and mutual understanding was the prime minister’s and the cabinet’s preference.

Talks with PTI on Friday

The minister’s comments came after the government formed a committee to hold talks with PTI leadership on the current political situation, following a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Chaudhry said political issues would be discussed during the Friday talks, and that if the party sought any favour or concession from the federal government, it would be considered within the constitutional and legal framework.

He said the issue of the provincial government’s non-cooperation in the fight against terrorism would also be on the table, and that the PTI would have to provide the cooperation required to bring terrorism under control in K-P.

FAQs

Is the government imposing an emergency in K-P?

No final decision has been taken. Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry says an emergency or governor’s rule is being seriously considered because of the security situation, with consultations under way.

Is the PTI’s October 4 march still going ahead?

The PTI has announced a long march to Islamabad on October 4. A government-PPP delegation meets PTI leadership on Friday, October 2, but the minister insists the march and the emergency proposal are separate issues.

What is governor’s rule?

Under Article 234 of the Constitution, the president can assume a province’s executive authority on the governor’s report or the federal cabinet’s advice, with parliamentary approval, when the province’s constitutional machinery breaks down.