Tirah, Balochistan issues: ANP demands joint session of parliament

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) demanded the holding of an in-camera joint session of parliament to discuss the alarming security situation in Tirah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Balochistan.

The party said that if a joint session can be summoned for minor legislation, there is no justification for not holding one on such serious and sensitive national issues.

Central President of the ANP Senator Aimal Wali Khan in a statement here on Sunday, stated the attitude of the federal and provincial governments towards the situation in Tirah had become unbearable for the people. “The people of Tirah are facing severe hardships. Their lives and future are at stake, yet the rulers sitting in Islamabad and Peshawar, instead of showing seriousness, are busy shifting responsibility onto each other through irresponsible statements,” he said, adding that the issue was not an operation but terrorism.

ANP president said that decisions regarding Tirah had been taken behind closed doors by the federal and provincial governments, after which the public was left helpless and without support, calling it clear evidence of the state’s lack of seriousness. He said both governments were accountable to the nation and parliament and must place all facts before the people.

Expressing deep concern over the situation in Balochistan, he said the recent incidents in the province were in no way minor. He added that simultaneous attacks at multiple locations pointed to a serious intelligence failure. Although the attacks were repelled, he said grave threats still existed, which required a serious and responsible response from the state and the governments.

Aimal Wali Khan reiterated that the ANP has always opposed all forms of extremism and terrorism and will continue to do so. “There can be no justification for terrorism or extremism,” he said, adding that pushing the public into further deprivation in the name of counterterrorism would not improve the situation.

He said that unresolved issues such as missing persons, unjust distribution of resources, royalties, provincial autonomy and incomplete implementation of the Constitution were further worsening the crisis. He stressed that before the situation deteriorated further, the state must seriously review its policies and work to heal the wounds of the affected people.

Referring to the recent incident at an imambargah in Rawalpindi, he said it was a tragic example of the prevailing critical situation in the country. He added that the ANP had been warning about such conditions for years, but instead of being heeded, the party was blamed and its path obstructed. He said that in one part of the country, conditions were being artificially portrayed as normal, while in another part the fire of violence had been burning for years. “Ironically, the very people who have long suffered from terrorism and extremism, bearing heavy human and financial losses, are now being blamed for this fire,” he said.

Aimal Wali Khan claimed that the governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were not the product of a genuine public mandate but had been imposed on the people.

He said that along with the present rulers, those elements were also responsible who had imposed incompetent and unrepresentative governments on these regions, pushing them continuously towards instability. He said that the time for mere statements had passed and that transparent, serious and responsible decisions were now needed.

He reiterated the ANP’s demand for an immediate joint session of parliament on the security issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the presentation of facts before the nation, and the formulation of a comprehensive and sustainable consensus-based policy to eliminate terrorism and public deprivation, saying there was no other way to pull the country out of the present crisis.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026