Fazl seeks joint in-camera session as ministers reject 'spoils of war' charge

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday called for a joint in-camera session of parliament to discuss the security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), as government ministers rejected criticism of the federal government’s administrative arrangements in the province and defended the move as part of efforts to combat terrorism. Speaking to reporters in Lahore, Fazl urged the government to convene an in-camera session of parliament to brief lawmakers on the security situation and its counterterrorism strategy, questioning why the nation was not being taken into confidence. He said the government should accept his offer to hold an in-camera session and explain its position. “If the nation is to form a force against terrorism and sit in the trenches, then take the nation into confidence,” he said. He said parliament was the only platform through which the government could take the nation into confidence, questioning where else the public could be engaged in the process. “The only platform for taking the nation into confidence is parliament. Apart from that, where is the nation?” he asked. Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, addressing the media in Jaranwala, noted that the final round of negotiations between the government and opposition took place in Parliament, with representatives of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also participating. Read: No breakthrough after marathon PTI-govt talks Discussing Fazl's criticism of the federal government's decision, Talal expressed disappointment over what he described as an attempt to seek a share in the province's administration following the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI's) removal from power. “We did not expect Maulana to consider this as spoils of war and seek his share because PTI is no longer there,” Talal said. “This is not spoils of war,” he added. The minister further rejected the suggestion that the federal government had imposed governor's rule in K-P to establish a political foothold in the province, form a coalition government or replace PTI with another political arrangement. “This was an administrative setup,” he said, adding that it had been formed with a “one-point agenda: combating terrorism.” Talal maintained that the government had exhausted other options before making the decision to impose emergency and governor's rule, saying that authorities wanted to restore security so that children could attend school, businesses could operate, and people could travel without fear of militant attacks. Talal also warned that the state would respond if any political party was found supporting armed groups fighting against Pakistan. He said the government's counterterrorism efforts would extend to wherever the attacks originated. The minister further alleged that the PTI and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) shared mutual interests, citing the militant group's statement opposing governor's rule in K-P. “We have been saying for a long time that there must be some relationship, some mutual interest or something common between the TTP and PTI,” he said. He claimed that no PTI leader, party member or gathering had been subjected to a terrorist attack since 2015, while other political parties, security forces, government offices and public gatherings had repeatedly been targeted. “Tell me, this is the press release issued by the TTP against governor's rule and in favour of PTI. They have never issued a press release for any other political party,” Talal said, referring to a statement by the banned outfit opposing the imposition of governor's rule in K-P. He argued that the statement supported his allegations about a relationship between the two. The minister added that the federal government had repeatedly urged political stakeholders to set aside their differences and work together against militancy, including by condemning the TTP, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other groups by name, and implementing the National Action Plan. “We said that politics has its place, but let us sit together and fight terrorism,” he said, adding that the government wanted political parties to fulfil their responsibilities under the counterterrorism framework. Referring to the history of negotiations with the TTP, Talal said the group had included PTI founder Imran Khan's name among its proposed interlocutors during efforts to initiate talks in 2013-2014. He also recalled Imran's alleged proposal to reintegrate TTP fighters and their families into Pakistan following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Talal alleged that the reintegration policy had contributed to the worsening security situation, claiming that attacks had subsequently affected security personnel, civilians, schools, religious seminaries, mosques, markets and public gatherings. The minister said the federal government had spent the past two-and-a-half years attempting to secure cooperation from successive K-P chief ministers on counterterrorism, including the now non-functional CM Sohail Afridi. According to Talal, federal ministers had attended meetings at locations suggested by the provincial leadership, including official residences and offices, in an effort to reach an agreement. Read More: Failed talks forced K-P emergency, says PM Separately, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also criticised Fazl for linking the imposition of an emergency in K-P to an alleged attempt to seize the province’s mineral resources, saying serious national issues such as terrorism should not be politicised. In a post on X, Chaudhry said the federal government’s priority was to protect the public and restore peace in the province, urging political leaders to play a serious role in eliminating terrorism rather than resorting to political allegations. “Maulana is a senior politician and is himself aware of the damage caused by terrorism,” he said, adding that Fazlur Rehman was expected to support national efforts against terrorism. Chaudhry also called on the PTI, which he said had governed K-P for 13 years, to account for its performance and the deteriorating law and order situation in the province. He said officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Armed Forces were sacrificing their lives to maintain peace in the country, adding that political accusations should give way to national unity and a joint strategy against terrorism. “The people of K-P want peace, security and development, not political disputes,” Chaudhry said. The remarks came amid continuing political tensions following the federal government's imposition of emergency and governor's rule in K-P on October 11 under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, which suspended the PTI-led provincial administration and transferred executive authority to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. The federal government defended the decision by citing security concerns and a lack of cooperation from the provincial government.

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