Islamabad, September 28, 2026: Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Monday accused the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of failing to make adequate efforts to combat terrorism, citing what he described as shortcomings in leadership, resources and the use of authority.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Chaudhry said political leadership could provide three key things in the fight against terrorism: leadership, resources and powers.
He alleged that the KP administration, where PTI has been in power since 2013, had failed to provide effective leadership to security forces over the past 14 years.
“If Pakistan is burning in the fire of terrorism, it is because of KP’s incompetent leadership,” Chaudhry said, accusing the provincial government of creating space for terrorists.
He said allocating funds for counterterrorism was the responsibility of the provincial government and questioned why adequate resources had not been provided to security forces.
Chaudhry claimed the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) was still not fully functional across the province and said security personnel lacked essential equipment and infrastructure, including bulletproof jackets, vehicles, training, a fully operational CTD, Safe City projects and a forensic laboratory.
He also questioned the utilisation of funds available to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, claiming the amount was around Rs800 billion.
The minister criticised KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the provincial information minister for not attending the funeral prayers of victims of the September 18 Kohat blast, alleging that they were instead occupied with political activities.
Chaudhry also questioned the KP government’s position on Afghanistan and accused it of maintaining what he called an ambiguous stance towards the Afghan Taliban administration.
“Why did they not condemn Afghanistan? Why do you have a soft attitude on Afghanistan?” he asked, urging the provincial leadership to openly identify what he described as the source of terrorist proxies operating against Pakistan.
He also criticised the recently proposed KP Police Act, saying it sought to curtail the powers of the provincial inspector general of police.
Responding to PTI’s allegation that it had not been included in discussions on the fight against terrorism, Chaudhry said the party’s leadership had been invited to meetings but did not attend.
“You come to Islamabad to demand NFC funds, but your CM does not show up for anti-terrorism meetings,” he said.
Tarar accuses PTI of failing to ‘own’ fight against terrorism
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar alleged that PTI had failed to take ownership of the fight against terrorism and accused the party of facilitating terrorists during its more than 12 years in government in KP.
Tarar also repeated his criticism of PTI, describing it as the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s “B team”.
He referred to an incident involving two Afghan nationals who allegedly did not stand during the national anthem at a ceremony organised by then-KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in September 2024.
Tarar also said the KP government had yet to ensure registration of all vehicles in the province, arguing that comprehensive registration would facilitate surveillance and identification of suspects.
He said revenue generated through vehicle registration could also be utilised for public welfare.
“You sacrificed the security of the entire province for your political gains,” Tarar said, adding that the KP leadership would have to decide whether it stood with Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Pakistan reiterates concerns over Afghan-based militants
Chaudhry said terrorist proxies were being financed from Pakistan’s eastern border while their alleged hideouts were located on the western border.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban administration in Kabul to take action against militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those allegedly linked to the TTP. Pakistani officials maintain that these sanctuaries have been used to plan attacks inside Pakistan.
The minister said Pakistan had used dialogue, dossiers and international forums to convey its concerns to Kabul but had not received a satisfactory response.
Referring to the recent attack on a rescue vehicle carrying victims of the Dera Ismail Khan blast, Chaudhry said attacks on rescue teams were unacceptable even during wartime.
“This is their true face. Is this jihad? Even an enemy with some rules does not carry out such attacks,” he said.
Chaudhry alleged that militant groups received financial rewards for terrorist attacks based on the number of casualties.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s identity-verification and investigative capabilities, saying data held by NADRA and other government databases could help authorities quickly establish the identity of suspects.
He said that in a recent case where no record was initially found in government databases, authorities used open-source intelligence and geolocation to trace a terrorist’s photograph to Pashtunistan Square in Kabul.
The minister’s remarks came amid renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan following a series of terrorist attacks and cross-border incidents.
Pakistan has said it carried out aerial and drone strikes against alleged militant targets in Afghanistan in response to attacks and drones launched from across the border. The Foreign Office has also said it delivered a demarche to the Afghan side over an alleged September 23 airspace violation involving drones.
