PTI Carried Out ‘Political Suicide Attack’ on Its Own KP Government, Says Bilawal
ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told the National Assembly on Wednesday that the PTI political suicide attack on its own Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had created the circumstances that led to the imposition of emergency in the province.
The National Assembly’s question hour was suspended so the house could debate the Centre’s emergency proclamation and governor’s rule in KP. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry tabled the motion, while Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar opened the discussion. Bilawal began by reading the relevant constitutional provisions, insisting the measures were taken under the Constitution.
The PTI political suicide attack remark
Bilawal said the Centre had tried its best to engage the opposition so the extreme step would not become necessary. “They will have to accept, even if not publicly, but the responsible leadership of the opposition knows that the PTI itself carried out a political suicide attack on its KP government,” he said.
The PPP chief argued the PTI could not deny that its leadership, particularly at the provincial level, had played a key role in creating the political, constitutional and legal circumstances behind the move. He described the emergency as a “constitutional atomic bomb”, saying the PPP’s position was that the government must first engage the PTI and the opposition over federal reservations about KP’s cooperation in the war against terrorism.
He warned that restricting political space for one party would restrict it for everyone. Terming the emergency a “difficult decision”, Bilawal recalled alleged remarks by the now non-functional KP chief minister Sohail Afridi that he would not fight terrorism the way the Centre wanted. “If this was not a political suicide, then what else was it?” he asked.
October 3 talks “were succeeding” before collapse
Bilawal recalled the October 3 talks between a joint PPP-government delegation and the opposition, saying he was told late that night that the negotiations were succeeding. The PTI, he claimed, was close to agreeing on declaring terrorism-hit areas as “terrorist areas” and signing a federal-KP counterterrorism pact. Then the dialogue collapsed.
Even now, Bilawal said, he would advise the federal government to “extend our hand forward once again for negotiations, political discussions and to find a resolution and middle path”. He stressed that emergency “was always a stopgap measure” which could not be sustained forever, and that defeating terrorism needed an “all-of-society and all-of-country response”.
Tarar’s numbers: 3,787 terror incidents since October 2025
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the house the emergency was imposed because the security situation in KP had become a threat to “national security”. He said the federal cabinet had examined “material” on terrorism in the province at its October 11 meeting before advising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to recommend the emergency.
Tarar put numbers to the claim: 2,911 terrorism incidents were recorded in KP between 2021 and 2024, but the count surged to 3,787 between October 15, 2025, when the Afridi government took charge, and October 9, 2026. He cited “internal disturbances” and cross-border infiltration, and noted that under Article 232, both houses of parliament must approve the proclamation. Our earlier report on Tarar’s NA address is here.
Achakzai fires back
Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai challenged Tarar’s narrative, questioning the government’s mandate in the February 2024 general elections and alleging the ruling coalition was formed “illegally”.
What happens next
Under Article 232, the emergency proclamation must now be approved by both houses of parliament. Bilawal said the PPP wanted the matter debated and decided in parliament through constitutional procedures, while renewing his call for talks with the opposition to find a political way forward.
Read more: Tarar defends KP emergency in National Assembly, Opposition flays move to ‘usurp KP govt mandate’, Section 144 imposed in DI Khan.
Why was emergency imposed in KP?
The federal government says the province’s security situation had become a threat to national security, blaming the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism.
What is Article 232 of the Constitution?
Article 232 allows the president to proclaim an emergency when the security of Pakistan is threatened by war, external aggression or internal disturbance beyond a province’s control. Both houses of parliament must approve the proclamation.
How long can the KP emergency last?
The proclamation must be approved by both houses of parliament under Article 232. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called it a stopgap measure that cannot be sustained forever, and urged a political settlement through negotiations.
