‘Emergency applies to all of KP, not just 12 districts’

'Emergency applies to all of KP, not just 12 districts'.

Key points

• Syed Irfan Raza Published October 14, 2026 Updated October 14, 2026 08: 15am.
• Addressing a press conference alongside his cabinet colleague Attaullah Tarar, the law minister remarked that for those 12 districts, a special mechanism had been introduced.
• Ministers blame PTI govt's 'non-serious attitude' for its fate; say Centre, provinces can't have separate counterterrorism policies.
• "You cannot shut your eyes after receiving such reports and seeing this rise in terrorist activity, " Azam continued.
• "Under the chief executive, extra measures have been taken; a dedicated secretariat has been established which will be providing assistance to those districts, " he remarked.

Syed Irfan Raza Published October 14, 2026 Updated October 14, 2026 08: 15am. Join our Whatsapp Channel.

ISLAMABAD: The emergency proclamation issued under Article 232 applies to all of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, not just the 12 terror-stricken districts of the province, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar remarked on Tuesday.

At the outset of the press briefing, the law minister observed that the province in the recent past had witnessed a hike in terrorist incidents, noting a "195 per cent" rise, with 8, 600 terrorist attacks recorded in 2024-2026 compared to 2, 900 in 2020-2024.

He emphasised that it was essential that counterterrorism efforts taken by federal and provincial agencies be "harmonised", adding that such an approach was standard practice globally.

"All these arrangements are made to run the country in a way that people feel safe, " the law minister remarked, adding that the "non-serious" attitude of the PTI-led KP administration "has now ceased to exist".

He recalled that the PTI, allegedly using administration resources, "launched an onslaught on the capital". Nevertheless, at the time, the imposition of governor's rule and emergency did not come under discussion.

Describing the situation on the ground in the province, the law minister remarked: "The KP police were under attack, armed forces deployed in the province were under attack innocent people lost their lives."

Recalling the events leading up to the federal government's decision, the law minister remarked the administration had held "constant engagement" with the provincial authorities.

"Unfortunately, their response was somewhat different. Maybe their politics were more significant to them than having the national interest at heart, " he stated.

Meanwhile, the information minister asserted that the residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had "welcomed" the federal government's move to impose governor's rule and emergency in the province, saying the measures had given them "hope".

"Had the people of KP supported the pro-terrorist stance of the PTI government, you would have seen millions on the streets, " he remarked.

Notably, the information minister, during the presser, reiterated that the federal administration did not have a political agenda against the PTI-led provincial administration; instead, it was pursuing "a unified policy on counterterrorism".

"You cannot have a government in the country that sympathises with terrorists, supports terrorism or has a policy that enables terrorists to carry out their operational actions, " he remarked. He questioned how one country could have two separate counterterrorism policies.

"As the minister explained, the framers of the constitution included these clauses (232 and 234) for a time like this, " citing a "complete breakdown" of law and order in KP. Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2026.

Taken together, the developments around 'Emergency applies to all of KP, not just 12 districts' point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.