Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told a joint session of Parliament on Thursday that the federal government had exhausted every effort to secure the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s cooperation against terrorism before imposing emergency and governor’s rule, and that the decision was taken reluctantly after months of unsuccessful engagement.
Naqvi rejected opposition allegations that the government had used terrorism for political purposes. “We made every effort to bring their government on board so that they could fight shoulder to shoulder with us,” he said.
The speech came during the same joint sitting that ratified the presidential proclamations imposing a two-month emergency and governor’s rule in K-P by 214 votes to 56, amid opposition protests.
What Naqvi’s K-P speech revealed about the failed talks
Naqvi pointed to an Apex Committee meeting in Peshawar in February, which he attended alongside the Peshawar corps commander while the K-P chief minister hosted it.
The meeting aimed to agree on a joint counter-terrorism approach and a press release committing both sides to fight terrorism together. Naqvi said security personnel were martyred the same day, and that the chief minister, persuaded through a formal request, attended their funeral prayers — which Naqvi claimed was the last such funeral the chief minister attended.
Praise for Qaiser, criticism of the provincial government
Turning to the government’s negotiations with PTI, Naqvi acknowledged that the party’s negotiating committee had shown a clear commitment to fighting terrorism. He singled out PTI leader Asad Qaiser, saying his stance during the talks had been so firm that even government representatives had not put it in similar terms.
But Naqvi said he had pointed out a gap between the negotiating committee’s position and that of the provincial government, asking Qaiser to consult the provincial leadership. He also cited a TV interview in which the K-P information minister was asked three times to condemn terrorism, offering to provide the clip if required.
The five-district security plan that stalled
Naqvi said he had personally met the K-P chief minister several times and worked with him on a security plan for five districts. Under it, police would be strengthened while civil armed forces withdrew gradually over six months, with federal support during the transition. He questioned who had stopped the province from implementing it, and said the chief minister had publicly criticised military personnel shortly after security officials were killed, including in speeches in Bannu.
The federal government, Naqvi maintained, had wanted the provincial administration to lead counter-terrorism operations with the army, Frontier Corps and other organisations in support, but the provincial leadership had been unwilling to take the lead.
How the talks collapsed
Naqvi said the government waited until late at night for a response on the fourth point of the proposed agreement and made a final telephone call urging the opposition to settle it. Opposition representatives repeatedly held separate consultations lasting one to three hours while government members waited, he said. Nearly all the agreement’s provisions reflected opposition demands, he added; the only addition was the withdrawal of PTI’s long march, included on PPP Senator Sherry Rehman’s suggestion.
One late proposal, he said, was for the provincial government itself to impose emergency measures in 12 terrorism-affected districts, which provincial representatives had agreed to in principle. “Do not put this on us,” he told the house. “We did not walk away from the negotiations.” His account came as the opposition alliance suspended talks until a meeting with Imran Khan and his health details are provided.
Dar’s constitutional defence
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also addressed the session, defending federal authority on constitutional grounds and questioning PTI’s role in the banned TTP’s return. The talks’ draft provisions had included meetings and medical treatment for prisoners, an issue behind protests by Imran Khan’s family over access to him.
Frequently asked questions
What did Mohsin Naqvi say in the joint session?
He said the federal government had exhausted all efforts to secure K-P’s cooperation against terrorism and imposed emergency and governor’s rule only reluctantly after months of failed engagement.
What was the five-district security plan?
A plan under which police in five K-P districts would be strengthened while civil armed forces withdrew over six months; Naqvi said the provincial government never implemented it.
