Information Minister Ataullah Tarar accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan of being the “chief sponsor” of the terrorists and facilitating the return and shelter of the militants.
He alleged that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Prime Minister-designate Sohail Afridi was appointed to “fully support and promote” the terrorists and their enablers.
He made these remarks while speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad along with KP Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan on Thursday.
Tarar said the recent London court ruling against the PTI amounted to a political defeat for the party and reinforced the state’s narrative that those who sought to destabilize the country would not be tolerated.
“The person who is imprisoned is the main sponsor of the terrorists,” he told reporters, adding that the facilitators “received support from him” and that those who foment instability “will not succeed.” He added that the PTI founder used to describe terrorists as “good people” and had advocated negotiations with them.
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Pointing at Afridi and the PTI founder, Tarar said: “That same person and the one currently in prison brought the terrorists back to Pakistan and settled them, and to this day that facilitation continues. It is unfortunate that the entire disruptive faction of the PTI acts as enablers for the terrorists.”
He alleged that militants were actively enabled during Khan’s rule and named Afridi as a beneficiary of that policy, saying he was brought into provincial politics to strengthen the militancy’s support network.
Tarar also criticized Ali Amin Gandapur, suggesting that he was removed as KP chief minister for not carrying out such facilitation to the satisfaction of the PTI founder. “He asked for someone close to the declared fugitive Murad Saeed and understanding of terrorist networks,” he said.
The Information Minister strongly condemned the attacks on civilians and said those responsible “deserve no mercy.” He stressed that Pakistan’s security policy “is made in Islamabad and will remain so” and is not dictated by any external influence, including Afghanistan.
Highlighting what he called the broader failure of the PTI’s “anti-state narrative,” the minister described the London ruling as “a resounding slap in the face” to those who sought to undermine state institutions.
He said the ruling vindicated the government’s stance and exposed the “baseless allegations” made against Pakistan’s institutions.
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Tarar further accused the PTI government of dismantling the National Action Plan, weakening the country’s anti-terrorism efforts.
“During the PTI rule, terrorists were returned to Pakistan, causing serious damage to the nation,” he said, recalling that peace was restored through military operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, which “broke the back of terrorism.”
Praising Pakistan’s security forces, Tarar said they “stand like an iron wall against terrorism” and their sacrifices “will be written in golden words.”
Ikhtiar Wali Khan also said that while changes in provincial leadership are a routine political matter, KP continues to suffer from poor governance and a growing threat of terrorism.
He added that the “Kohistan scandal” had exposed large-scale corruption during the PTI government, adding that the party’s founder “has only worked against the state and its institutions”.
He further stated that the PTI had left Pakistan “on the brink of bankruptcy”, but that under the current government, “the country’s economy is recovering”.
