Govt says people of KP ‘welcomed’ governor's rule as it gave them ‘hope’

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar stated on Tuesday that the residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had welcomed the federal government's imposition of governor's rule and the declaration of an emergency. He said the actions had provided them "hope". At a joint press conference with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ataullah noted that if the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had backed the pro-terrorist stance of the PTI government, there would have been thousands on the streets.

However, he added, "barely a dozen" people protested. Defending the move, the information minister said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had welcomed it because they believed there was now "hope" for them. They thought they would now receive "safety and security," and that their "lives and livelihood" would be protected. The political-crime nexus would also be dismantled, according to Ataullah.

At the beginning of the briefing, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that the province had recently experienced a surge in terrorist incidents, noting a "195 per cent" increase. There were 8,600 terrorist attacks recorded in the 2024-2026 period, compared to 2,900 in the 2020-2024 period.