Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of political failure and questioned the use of federal counter-terrorism resources.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of political failure and criticized the provincial government over the deteriorating security situation in the province.
In a post on X, Tarar said Afridi had brought “destruction and devastation” to the province and had become politically unsuccessful. He alleged that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was facing terrorism while women, children and elderly people were being killed, but claimed the provincial leadership was more concerned with politics.
“Politics may be dear to them, but Pakistan is dear to us,” Tarar said in his post.
The federal minister also raised concerns over the presence of unregistered vehicles in the province. He alleged that a nexus involving gold, minerals, timber and tobacco was facilitating terrorism.
Tarar further questioned the use of funds allocated for counter-terrorism under the National Finance Commission (NFC) framework. He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would have to account for whether federal funds received for counter-terrorism had been spent on sit-ins or political activities.
The remarks came amid heightened political exchanges between the federal government and the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration over terrorism, law and order and the use of provincial resources.
Tarar has made similar allegations in recent days. On Sept. 25, he accused the KP government of failing to take adequate measures to maintain law and order and alleged that illegal timber and tobacco trade, along with illegal gold mining and contracts, were linked to the financing of terrorists. Those claims were made by Tarar and have not been independently established in the cited reports.
On Sept. 28, Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry again criticized the KP government over its counter-terrorism measures. Tarar said the provincial government had not brought non-customs-paid vehicles under the legal framework and argued that such vehicles could be used in terrorist activities. He also demanded details of how resources intended for counter-terrorism had been utilized.
The federal government and the PTI-led KP government have continued to exchange allegations over responsibility for the province’s security situation and the management of counter-terrorism resources.
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