Tarar claims PTI ‘acting as political wing’ of proscribed TTP

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Friday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of acting as a “political wing” of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, alleging that the party avoids clearly condemning the banned militant outfit.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Zahid Khan, Tarar said PTI leaders “falter when speaking” about the TTP and display what he termed “leniency towards terrorists.” He added that the nation was paying the price for what he described as the PTI’s political and administrative failures, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The information minister said terrorism had been effectively eliminated from KP following the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, but claimed the province had since slipped into poor governance under PTI’s 12-year rule.

He alleged that governance standards had deteriorated across key sectors, including health and education, due to provincial negligence.

Tarar also dismissed what he called “misleading claims” by PTI leaders, referring to an assertion about the construction of Lady Reading Hospital, which he said was factually incorrect.

Drawing a comparison among provinces, he said development in Punjab was “visible to all,” while Sindh and Balochistan were also witnessing progress, in contrast to KP, which he said lagged behind.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026