Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam on Monday slammed the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stressing that the federal government was not “in favour of governor’s rule” amid the party’s march, but warned of national security risks.
The minister’s comments come as KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi launched the party’s long march towards Islamabad on Sunday, saying the party would “not accept” any policy against the interests of the people of KP.
The PTI went ahead with its march despite warnings from the federal government, which has vowed to prevent any violent gatherings in the capital. The protest aims to demand the release of jailed party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Addressing a press conference, Muqam said, “We are not in favour of having governor’s rule or declaring an emergency in KP as politically it is not a good decision; however, on one hand, you have politicians, and then there is the state. Politics can only continue if we still have control of the province.”
He claimed that the provincial government had lost its writ and “the security situation was deteriorating day by day”.
Speaking about the recent negotiations held with the opposition over the party’s march to Islamabad, the minister said the government’s side suggested to “be on the same page” about terrorism.
Muqam held that the province’s chief executive had “abandoned” the province.
“There is no sign of the government in the province. The chief executive of the province stays busy on his one-point agenda.”
He held that terrorism was not limited to only KP.
Muqam went on to warn, “If KP is over taken by terrorists [..] then the rest of Pakistan would not remain free either.”
He held that the provincial government, the federal government and the armed forces “should be on the same page” in counterterrorism.
Shifting his attention to the weekend’s negotiations with the opposition, Muqam applauded the opposition’s delegation, saying that they were willing to find a resolution.
He recalled that during the first day of the talks, the opposition asked for an extension since the KP CM needed to be a part as well.
“The next day, we came back and sat from 3pm till 3am. In the talks, three to four drafts were prepared, and at one point, it was decided that we would issue a joint statement.”
He said that at the time, the opposition’s delegation had assured the government side of their cooperation. He recalled that the “interference” began after 9pm on Saturday.
“Messages came in asking for clauses to be added and removed. In the end, we had a deadlock,” Muqam said.
The minister said it was “highly unfortunate” that the talks ended. He also questioned how the KP CM was making statements regarding the march while “his nominated people were engaging in talks”.
He claimed that for the past two to two and a half months, government-related work in KP had come to a halt.
Muqam reiterated that the federal and provincial governments “needed to be on the same page”.
He also questioned the provincial government’s “lack of seriousness” over the National Action Plan (NAP).
“Why have you held only one meeting in the entire year? How many martyrs have you visited?” Muqam asked.
“In fact, you went against the police to try and rob them of their authority,” he said, referring to the KP Police Act, 2026. During his press conference, Muqam reiterated that PTI’s march will not be allowed to enter Islamabad.
“What is this drama of proceeding with the march when you know fully well that you will not be allowed to enter Punjab?” Muqam said to PTI. He questioned whether the KP government had spoken about the rights of the people of KP.
“It is the state’s responsibility not to leave the people of KP at the mercy of terrorists, and for that, there is a constitutional way to provide them relief,” the minister said, in an apparent reference to the governor’s rule.
On being asked about further negotiations with the opposition, the minister said the “door to talks is still open [..] if it is for the betterment of the country, we are always ready to talk”.
More to follow.
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