Azam Tarar says top-level meeting had nothing to do with governor’s rule, emergency in KP

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Wednesday said a high-level meeting held at Parliament House was a routine consultation ahead of the National Assembly session and had nothing to do with imposing emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Tarar said all relevant government officials had participated in the session, which was held as part of the regular consultations ahead of legislation and an upcoming National Assembly session.

“This is a regular meeting held before every National Assembly session,” he said, adding that the government also took its coalition partner Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) into confidence on parliamentary matters.

Asked specifically about reports that the meeting was linked to the possibility of imposing governor’s rule or emergency in KP, the law minister categorically said there was no such connection.

“This meeting had nothing to do with governor’s rule or emergency,” Tarar said.

His remarks came amid growing speculation about possible constitutional measures in KP, with federal ministers publicly discussing the options against the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in the province and PTI’s planned October 4 march on Islamabad.

Earlier on Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the federal government was “seriously considering” imposing emergency in KP under Article 232, citing the worsening security situation and the provincial government’s alleged failure to curb terrorism.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, however, said discussion about governor’s rule or emergency in KP was premature, while stressing that the provincial government had failed to maintain law and order.

Azam Tarar said his position on governor’s rule or emergency remained the same as he had stated two days earlier.

“If circumstances move in that direction and the constitutional requirements are fulfilled, then it is a legal process,” he said.

He clarified that the decision in such a situation would not rest with him or Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

“The decision is taken by the president or the prime minister, not by me or Tariq Fazal,” he said.

The law minister also defended the federal government’s concerns over the security situation in KP, saying civilians and security personnel were being killed in the province.

“People are dying in KP; civilians and soldiers are being martyred, and you are demanding something that can also be done through a legal process,” he said.

Responding to questions about former prime minister Imran Khan, Tarar said his case was before the courts and the government could not decide on his release.

“Imran Khan’s issue is in court, where he does not appear,” he said, adding that the government could not take a decision regarding his release.

On the situation in Balochistan, the law minister rejected the impression that the provincial government was confronting the federal government.

Meanwhile, sources said National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and briefed him on important constitutional, legal and parliamentary matters.

According to the sources, Ayaz Sadiq also informed the prime minister about his backchannel contacts with the opposition and briefed him on his meeting with a PPP delegation.

The two also discussed convening the next session of the National Assembly, the sources said.

The developments came as the federal government continued consultations over the situation in KP, with sources saying a decision regarding the province was expected soon.