ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called for “important decisions” regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accusing the PTI-led provincial government of abandoning its responsibility to confront terrorism and leaving the province’s people “at the mercy of terrorists”.
In a strongly worded statement on X, Asif said “enough is enough”, arguing that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could no longer be left in the hands of what he described as an “incompetent and insensitive” government and “allies of the Taliban”.
His remarks came after five people, including two Customs officials, were killed in a terrorist attack in Dera Ismail Khan on October 6.
Asif accused the provincial government, including Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his cabinet, of remaining preoccupied with the PTI’s political long march while the province faced a fresh wave of terrorism.
He alleged that the provincial leadership had neither condemned the killing of the five people nor offered condolences to the bereaved families or attended the victims’ funerals.
The defence minister further claimed that the chief minister had summoned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general of police and chief secretary to question them over their participation in a security meeting called by the governor.
Asif said a province facing a serious terrorist threat required its government to focus on public security rather than political agitation. He also referred to protests in different parts of KP, claiming that people were taking to the streets against the provincial government.
Escalating his criticism, the defence minister alleged that there was sufficient evidence of what he described as the provincial government’s “collusion” with terrorists and their facilitation network. He did not provide specific evidence in the statement to substantiate the allegation.
Drawing a comparison with the PTI government’s tenure at the Centre, Asif said Nawaz Sharif, members of his family and other PML-N leaders had faced imprisonment, but the party continued to perform its parliamentary and constitutional role.
He claimed the PML-N had pursued its political battles through parliament and the courts instead of holding state institutions hostage or aligning itself with the Taliban.
“Important decisions must now be taken,” Asif said, adding that the bloodshed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could no longer be tolerated and that the country’s unity could not be put at risk.
The PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had not immediately responded to the allegations contained in Asif’s statement.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026