ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Parliament convened Wednesday to debate the federal government's imposition of emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accusing the PTI-led provincial government of committing a "political suicide attack" that provoked the extraordinary constitutional measure.
The National Assembly suspended its question hour to take up the Centre's proclamation of emergency and governor's rule in KP, citing the provincial government's "deliberate disengagement" from the fight against terrorism.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar opened the discussion, while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry tabled the motion. Opposition members sat calmly and staged no protest, an unexpected development.
Speaking on the floor, Bhutto-Zardari said the emergency and governor's rule were measures taken under the Constitution and insisted the Centre had tried its best to engage the opposition to avoid them.
"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 maintained that PTI could not deny that its leadership, "particularly the provincial," had a key role in the political, constitutional and legal circumstances that led to the crisis. He said he had recommended negotiations before "using this constitutional atomic bomb."
"If political space is restricted for one political party, it is impossible that the political space is restricted only for that political party; it is limited for every political party, political worker and Pakistani citizen," he said.
"We are responsible for this, but you cannot deny that you are also responsible for it."
Bhutto-Zardari called the imposition a "difficult decision" and recalled alleged remarks by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi that he would not combat terrorism the way the Centre wanted. "If this was not a political suicide, then what else was it?" he asked.
He questioned whether President Asif Ali Zardari, who he said prides himself on passing the 18th Amendment, had any reason to refuse to sign the proclamation. Still, he urged the federal government to "extend our hand forward once again for negotiations, political discussions and to find a resolution and middle path."
Bhutto-Zardari noted that emergency was "always a stopgap measure" and could not be sustained forever. He said an "all-of-society and all-of-country response" was still needed to eradicate terrorism completely, and recalled that Oct. 3 talks between a joint delegation of his party and the government with the opposition had collapsed just as a deal appeared near.
He said PTI had been willing to declare areas of KP with surging terrorism as "terrorist areas," and the opposition was about to agree that the federal and KP governments would sign a pact on joint counterterrorism efforts.
Law Minister Tarar told the Assembly that emergency was imposed because the security situation in KP had become a threat to "national security." He noted that Article 232 of the Constitution requires both houses of Parliament to approve the measure after a proclamation is issued.
Tarar said the federal cabinet examined material on terrorism in the province during its Oct. 11 meeting and advised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to recommend the imposition of emergency.
He rejected comparisons to the emergency imposed by former dictator Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Oct. 12, 1999, and cited "internal disturbances" and cross-border infiltrations.
He contended that the situation since Oct. 15, 2025, when Afridi's government came to power in KP, was "turning into a threat to national security to an alarming extent."
He said 2,911 terrorism incidents occurred in KP between 2021 and 2024, but that figure surged to 3,787 between Oct. 15, 2025, and Oct. 9, 2026.
Tarar criticized the KP chief minister for ignoring martyred security and police personnel while promoting his political designs and making visits across the country. "Even this was announced that the federal capital will be conquered," he said, referring to the party's plan to hold a protest long march toward Islamabad.
The law minister expressed gratitude to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for providing a platform for dialogue between the Centre and the opposition, and reiterated the government's stance that PTI had the agreement draft changed multiple times before backing off.
He said PTI demanded the release of its founder, Imran Khan, and his treatment in a private hospital despite knowing only courts could provide such relief. He said a special mechanism has been introduced for 12 districts of KP.
Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai took aim at Tarar for trying to prove terrorism was not tackled in KP.
He questioned the government's mandate in the February 2024 general elections, saying the opposition would "surrender" if the minister could swear the government won those polls fairly. Achakzai alleged the incumbent ruling coalition was formed "illegally."
