Asif says governor’s rule in K-P a ‘last option’ if no alternative remains
The governor’s rule in K-P debate sharpened on Wednesday night after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the federal government is trying to avoid imposing it in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but may consider it as a “last option” if no alternative remains. He was speaking to reporters in Islamabad.
What Asif said
Asif urged the PTI to act like a political party rather than a “terrorist organisation”. He called the Taliban an “anti-Pakistan power” and described the PTI’s long march as an “attack on Islamabad”.
He cited the October 6 attack in Dera Ismail Khan that killed five people, including two customs officials, and accused the provincial government of neither condemning it nor attending the victims’ funerals.
In a post on X, he went further, accusing the K-P government of “complete collusion” with terrorists and “criminal indifference”.
The road to the ‘last option’
The governor’s rule question has been building for weeks. On September 21, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government was consulting the law ministry on legal options, including governor’s rule. Two days later, Information Minister Atta Tarar ruled it out, while Federal Minister Amir Muqam said consultations were under way.
Meanwhile, government-opposition talks collapsed after two days. The government blamed the K-P government and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi; the PTI blamed the refusal of its demand for a meeting with Imran Khan.
What happens next
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s olive branch was rejected, and the PTI march entered its fourth day on Wednesday, with the convoy moving from Mattani toward Khyber under Afridi’s leadership. Asif’s remarks, published late on Wednesday night, mark the sharpest escalation yet in the Centre’s rhetoric. The PTI has already warned it will quit the assemblies if governor’s rule is imposed, raising the stakes of any move.
Related
- KP CM Afridi wants law to impeach governor over ‘unconstitutional’ security meeting
- PTI warns it will quit assemblies if governor’s rule imposed in K-P
- Achakzai says opposition will hold no talks without consulting Imran Khan
FAQs
What did Khawaja Asif say about governor’s rule in K-P?
He said the federal government is trying to avoid imposing governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but may consider it as a “last option” if no alternative remains.
Why is governor’s rule being discussed?
The Centre cites governance and security concerns in K-P, including the October 6 Dera Ismail Khan attack that killed five people, and accuses the provincial government of colluding with terrorists, a charge the PTI rejects.
Have talks between the government and PTI succeeded?
No. Government-opposition talks collapsed after two days, with each side blaming the other, and the PTI’s long march continued into its fourth day.
