Bilawal Says KP Governor’s Rule Could End if Opposition Backs Terror Fight
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Sunday that the KP governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could end if the opposition agreed to fight terrorism under a shared plan.
Speaking to the media in Karachi, Bilawal defended the Centre’s decision to impose the measures a week ago. He blamed the provincial leadership for refusing to confront militants and said his party stood ready to fight terrorism itself.
KP governor’s rule imposed over “deliberate disengagement”
The Centre imposed governor’s rule and emergency in KP last week, citing what it called the provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The move came as the PTI, which runs the KP government and sits in opposition at the Centre, staged a mobilisation drive and protest march demanding the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan.
Bilawal was visiting the Karsaz Monument on the 19th anniversary of the Karsaz bombing when he spoke to reporters. The 2007 attack targeted a PPP rally welcoming Benazir Bhutto back to Pakistan and killed scores of party workers.
“Terrorist attacks from Khyber to Khuzdar”
The PPP chief painted a grim picture of the security situation. He said the country had reached a point where “terrorist attacks are taking place from Khyber to Khuzdar”.
He traced the current wave of violence to decisions taken after the government changed in Afghanistan. “Our government also decided to invite the terrorists who were in Afghanistan to come back and live in our Swat, our Malakand, our former tribal areas,” he said. He added that militants jailed in Pakistan were also freed at the time.
“Today, Pakistan is suffering the losses from these wrong decisions,” Bilawal said. He warned that “some forces want to take down Pakistan’s flag from Swat” while a fight against terrorism continued across the country, with army and police personnel as well as civilians under attack.
Bilawal targets KP chief minister
Bilawal reserved his sharpest words for the KP chief minister. He said the province with the highest number of terrorist incidents had a chief minister who had vowed he would not face the terrorists.
“If the Pakhtunkhwa chief minister (Sohail Afridi) was a coward, if he was not ready to defend his homeland, if he was not ready to fight those terrorists — then the PPP is ready to fight them,” he said. “That is why we supported the government’s decision to impose governor rule in KP.”
He stressed that his party would “join forces with everyone to fight these terrorists” and would not let anyone think of removing the Pakistan flag from “even a single piece” of the country.
What the KP governor’s rule row means
The governor’s rule debate has split the political class. Federal ministers have already hit back at Maulana Fazlur Rehman after he criticised the Centre’s handling of the KP situation, while the Sharif brothers have publicly defended the emergency as a compelled step. Bilawal’s offer of an exit ramp, conditional on an agreed anti-terror plan, adds a new layer: the PPP is positioning itself as the party willing to own the terrorism fight in a province where it says the elected government walked away from it.
Whether the opposition takes up the offer remains the open question. The PTI has called the Centre’s move an attack on the provincial mandate, and no joint plan has yet emerged. For now, the emergency stays in place, and the argument over who fights terrorism in KP, and how, continues.
FAQ
What did Bilawal say about the KP governor’s rule?
Bilawal said the governor’s rule and emergency in KP could end if the opposition was willing to fight terrorism and “we agree on a plan”. He made the remarks in Karachi on October 18.
Why was governor’s rule imposed in KP?
The Centre imposed it a week ago, citing the KP government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The move followed a PTI protest march demanding Imran Khan’s release.
Why was Bilawal at the Karsaz Monument?
He was marking the 19th anniversary of the 2007 Karsaz bombing, which targeted a PPP rally welcoming Benazir Bhutto back to Pakistan.
What is the PPP’s position on the KP emergency?
The PPP supports the Centre’s decision. Bilawal said that if the KP chief minister would not fight the terrorists, “the PPP is ready to fight them”.
