Ishaq Dar Defends KP Emergency, Says Government Had “No Choice” on Citizens’ Safety, as Aide Suggests Governor’s Rule Could Last Until Elections
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has defended the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that when it comes to protecting citizens’ lives and property, the federal government had no choice but to act. Addressing a conference on Pakistan’s counter-terrorism landscape in Islamabad, Dar said the decision was not political but directed against the menace of terrorism that has hit the province for the last decade and a half.
Dar said the government had taken difficult decisions in the past and paid a heavy political price for them — pointing to the economic measures adopted when Pakistan stood on the brink of default. Whatever the cost of protecting people’s lives and property, he argued, it is never too much, and the government could not keep sleeping while looking the other way.
“Not a political move” — but possibly a long one
Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Ikhtiyar Wali told a television programme that governor’s rule would remain in force as long as needed and could continue until the elections if necessary — though he stressed that general elections would be held on schedule and nothing would be placed in their way. He said former chief minister Sohail Afridi was in protective custody and that an impartial accountability process would now begin in the province.
Wali added that the provincial assembly had already been inactive before the emergency, and that the administrative system in some districts had deteriorated severely. According to him, the federation has no political agenda in the province; its sole aim is restoring peace and reviving development. Opposition parties have rejected these claims, calling the move an assault on the public mandate.
