ISLAMABAD – Information Minister Atta Tarar on Saturday accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of acting as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) “B team”, alleging that the party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had failed to address terrorism and prioritised political activity over governance.
“They have always been the TTP’s B team. I say this openly; this has been my position from the beginning, and I stand by it,” Tarar said at a press conference alongside Co-Ordinator to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Information & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan, criticising successive PTI-led provincial governments for their handling of security and development. He alleged that PTI had facilitated the return of militants to settled areas after military operations, contributing to renewed attacks in parts of the province. The allegations were made by Tarar; he did not present supporting evidence during the remarks provided.
Tarar accuses KP government of neglecting governance
Tarar said KP had once been a source of pride and a peaceful destination for tourists, but alleged that 13.5 years of PTI-led provincial rule had taken the province “to the Stone Age.”
He contrasted the provincial government’s performance with initiatives undertaken by PM Shehbaz, including the inauguration of Islamabad’s IT Park. Tarar said the project, which he described as previously stalled, had been revived to provide incubation centres, startup facilities and IT skills training for university students, with the aim of increasing exports and contributing to economic growth.
He questioned how much time Chief Minister Sohail Afridi devoted to governance, claiming he had spent “zero point zero hours” on it. Tarar said the chief minister could have focused on building universities, schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure instead of concentrating on efforts to secure the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. The minister also criticised the provincial government for allegedly failing to install safe-city cameras in districts, claiming other provinces had taken such measures.
“You did not install them because you ate up that money,” Tarar alleged, accusing the provincial government of misusing funds intended for the public. He said the province had received Rs700 billion during PTI’s tenure to undertake development and security projects, but alleged that the money had instead been spent on protests. “You do not even give half an hour a day to governance, but you hold six-hour meetings for unrest and sabotage,” he said.
‘People of KP are trapped by terrorism’
Tarar said residents of KP were burdened by poverty, inadequate healthcare and education, poor roads and bridges, and a lack of basic infrastructure. He described terrorism as another form of confinement for the province’s population. “The biggest prison in which you have confined the people of KP is the prison of terrorists,” he said.
He accused PTI of allowing militants to return to settled areas after operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad had cleared them. Tarar alleged that militants had been welcomed back and claimed PTI’s approach had emboldened them to carry out attacks in Kohat, Hangu and Dera Ismail Khan. “How do these terrorists find the courage to come and attack Kohat, Hangu and Dera Ismail Khan? It is because you brought them back and resettled them,” he said, holding PTI responsible for the attacks.
Tarar referred to the deaths of security personnel and rescue workers, as well as the killing of a child in an attack on the Aman Mela checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan. He questioned whether the chief minister and his cabinet bore responsibility for the bloodshed, while accusing them of maintaining ties with militants. “Your political interests are dearer to you than the national interest,” he said. He expressed condolences over the death of police constable Faheemullah, who was killed in Kohat.
Tarar questions counterterrorism spending
Tarar alleged that despite receiving substantial federal funding through the National Finance Commission (NFC), the provincial government had not invested adequately in counterterrorism capacity. He questioned the state of the province’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), forensic facilities and police resources, arguing that the government should have used available funds to strengthen law enforcement and improve security.
Ikhtiar Wali alleges universities nearing financial collapse
Wali said PTI had come to power promising change within 90 days and a revolution within six months, along with equal standards of justice, education and healthcare for rich and poor. He said the party had also promised to turn governor and chief minister houses into libraries, colleges and universities, but alleged that the opposite had happened. “Universities have started shutting down, and there are no vice-chancellors,” Wali said, claiming that 18 of KP’s 34 universities were on the brink of bankruptcy.
Spending on merged tribal districts
Wali said road infrastructure in the former tribal districts had been developed under previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governors, naming Sardar Mehtab Abbasi. He alleged that subsequent governments had failed to build schools, colleges and police stations in the areas. He said the federal government had promised separate funding for the tribal districts after their merger with KP, with the money to be spent specifically on those areas. According to Wali, however, funds were deposited into Account No. 1 and were not spent as intended. He alleged that during Imran Khan’s government, money had instead been used for political activities and social media campaigns. Wali further claimed that PTI had paid around 30,000 to 35,000 social media influencers a monthly stipend of Rs50,000. These claims were made by Wali and were not independently verified.
‘Corruption in healthcare and police funding’
Wali criticised the province’s healthcare system, saying it would need to be rebuilt from scratch. He alleged that Nosherwan Burki, whom he described as Imran Khan’s cousin and a figure appointed to oversee healthcare in 2013, had influence over medicine procurement and surgical equipment contracts. Wali also alleged irregularities in the Sehat Card programme, claiming that not all hospitals were included on its panel and that payments were demanded to secure inclusion. The allegations were not independently verified.
Turning to security, Wali said police and the CTD had been left inadequately equipped to confront militants, despite suffering casualties. He alleged that funds intended for the war against terrorism had been misused. He further alleged that money intended for education, police and healthcare had been used by PTI figures to acquire expensive properties, including a palace in Swat and the Serena Hotel in Peshawar.
‘Deforestation and unexplained wealth’
Wali also accused the provincial government of failing to protect forests, claiming forest cover had fallen by 20 per cent. He questioned how some PTI figures had accumulated wealth during their time in government, claiming that a person who owned a small private school in 2013 later became the owner of 200 schools, while a former minister who had earned a modest salary had become the owner of a hospital chain.
Fuel relief scheme and federal initiatives
Tarar also defended the federal government’s fuel relief scheme, saying 10 million unique registrants had benefited. He clarified that repeated token redemptions were counted separately and said changes had been made in response to public feedback. He added that the minimum fuel requirement had been removed and the age limit for motorcycles had been raised from 15 to 20 years.
‘Accountability over alleged unexplained wealth’
Wali said residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a right to better public services and vowed that an accountability process would begin in the province. “An accountability court and an accountability office will be opened. Accountability will start from there,” he said.
‘Conditions in KP resemble Thar’
Wali compared conditions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to those in Thar, arguing that poverty and inadequate access to basic services affected communities across the province. He challenged representatives to explain why such conditions persisted despite the billions of rupees allocated to the province.
Youth should ‘challenge provincial lawmakers’
Wali called on young people and other residents to use social media and raise their concerns directly with their elected representatives. He said he had been criticised and targeted online for speaking out, but vowed to continue his campaign. “People told me that I was fighting alone and that I was being trolled, but I said I consider this work a jihad,” Wali said.
