KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for a written agreement between the federal government and the provinces to jointly combat terrorism, warning that worsening security conditions could prompt constitutional interventions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Treatment Plant-I in Karachi, the former foreign minister said federal and provincial governments must work together to address the country’s deteriorating security situation. He urged all political parties to set aside political interests when dealing with terrorism, cautioning that the problem would not remain confined to a single province.
Bilawal accused India of being behind terrorist activities originating from Afghanistan and criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for what he described as failing to give sufficient importance to terrorism despite frequent attacks in the province. He warned that if the provincial government did not cooperate with the federal government, constitutional options such as governor’s rule or an emergency could eventually have to be considered.
“KP is not giving due importance to the issue of terrorism, and this might eventually lead to the imposition of governor’s rule,” Bilawal said.
Turning to political tensions between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party founded by Imran Khan and the PML-N-led federal government, Bilawal said all political parties should recognize the importance of ongoing negotiations and work toward a political solution in the national interest.
PTI had postponed its planned long march toward Islamabad from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4. The former ruling party says the protest aims to secure the release of its jailed founding chairman, Imran Khan, and what it describes as the restoration of constitutional supremacy.
Bilawal said political stability would strengthen democracy and enable the country to tackle terrorism more effectively without resorting to emergency measures. He said the federal government had previously considered imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but PPP believed every effort should first be made to find a political solution. His party, he said, had proposed allowing political parties to hold talks with PTI to persuade it to end its long march.
Bilawal said political parties have the right to protest but maintained that PTI’s protest had already achieved its objectives and should now be concluded. Referring to disruptions in Islamabad, he said the capital had remained effectively shut for 10 days and urged political workers to acknowledge their success and end the march.
