Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Imposed Strictly Under Constitutional Provisions; National Interest Must Supersede Political Priorities, States Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar has stated that the proclamation of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was made strictly following Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution by the President of Pakistan on the advice of the Prime Minister.
In a closed-door briefing with foreign media representatives in Islamabad, the law minister explained that, just as in the past, the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 has specific constitutional mechanisms to address extraordinary internal security crises and extraordinary circumstances.
Azam Nazeer Tarar, the Minister of Law, highlighted some of the main points during his briefing.
Surge in Terrorism and Statistical Evidence: Tarar highlighted that terrorism has been the problem of Pakistan for more than 30 years but expressed concern of an alarming surge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The province reported 2,911 terror incidents from 2021 to 2024, which jumped to around 8,600 in 2024, a jump of 200% from the previous year, he said, disclosing the incidents in a meeting with the Prime Minister’s Office.
The minister highlighted that citizens and State institutions have been repeatedly targeted and subjected to terror attacks by armed groups and highlighted that protection of the citizens is the supreme duty of the State.
Inability of past provincial cooperation: Tarar criticized the attitude of the previous provincial administration, noting that the interior minister and federal authorities have maintained regular communication with the province but there has been no administrative cooperation as requested. He stated that the Federal government even used the political channel via parliamentary committees convened in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly but negotiations did not reach fruition because of the differences.
National Security First: Tarar pointed out that any government would not have resorted to emergency measures as a first option and if it was politically, the move could have been taken much earlier. He pointed out that the national security and protection of life are always to be prioritized over any selfish political expediencies.