Naqvi: Every Effort Made to Avoid Emergency in KP

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the joint session of Parliament on Thursday, October 15, that the federal government had exhausted every possible avenue before the emergency and Governor’s Rule were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He said the government had no desire to take the step and had continued negotiations until the last hour.

Naqvi’s Main Points

• Dialogue: The federal government repeatedly initiated discussions and never set a deadline for a decision. He said it prepared a document addressing the opposition’s demands, tried to arrange a meeting between opposition leaders and the Prime Minister, and made efforts to resolve financial and other concerns of the provincial government.

• Negotiating points: He listed four points under discussion: a meeting between the Prime Minister and the opposition leader, a political committee to discuss outstanding matters, reaffirming the legal rights of those entitled to them, and eliminating terrorism through implementation of the National Action Plan in KP.

• Police strengthening: He said an understanding had been reached to strengthen the police force in five districts, and that discussions focused only on counterterrorism.

• Emergency measures: He said the government had even suggested limiting emergency measures to 12 districts.

Counterterrorism Responsibility

Naqvi said counterterrorism is the federal government’s responsibility and that the federation will fulfil its duty to confront and eliminate terrorists. He said terrorism cannot be defeated through conflicting policies and called for a coordinated response from the federal and provincial governments. He also urged opposition members to sit down with their provincial leadership and resolve differences, and said no political party should be accused of terrorism.