The National Assembly today adopted a resolution approving the Proclamation of Emergency issued by the President on the 11th October in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
It was moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhary.
Taking the floor, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said presenting the Proclamation of Emergency before the House and obtaining its approval is a constitutional requirement.
He emphasized that the decision to impose emergency was necessitated by the internal disturbances in the province and the provincial government's lack of seriousness in dealing with terrorism.
Azam Nazeer Tarar mentioned that three thousand seven hundred eighty-seven terrorist incidents have been recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past year.
He regretted that, instead of focusing on security challenges, the provincial government was prioritizing political activities.
The Minister for Law said the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also complaining that the focus of the provincial government is not on counterterrorism, but politics.
He said the Governor had apprised both the President and the Prime Minister of the situation through a letter.
Azam Nazeer Tarar said the constitutional option of emergency has been exercised as a last resort, following thorough deliberations, to protect the lives and property of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In his remarks, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said there was no choice but to impose an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to rising incidents of terrorism there. He reaffirmed the government’s firm resolve to combat terrorism with full force.
Farooq Sattar said that the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had become inevitable in view of the province’s security situation.
Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said emergency has been imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa out of necessity after the provincial government failed to provide assurances regarding counterterrorism efforts.
He said the country requires continuity of policies and stability to take it forward on the path of economic development.
He said nobody will be allowed to impede this process.
Taking the floor, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the government tried its level best to avoid the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said the leadership of PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is responsible for emergency in the province.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the worst affected by terrorism and we had to take this difficult but constitutional decision.
He said an all-of-society and country approach is required to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
The PPP Chairman said the opposition should act responsibly and play its role in the fight against terrorism, emphasizing the need for consensus on some fundamental issues.
Meanwhile, the House will now meet on Friday at eleven am.
