Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan of being the “main sponsor” of the terrorists and facilitating the return and accommodation of the militants.
He alleged that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister-designate Sohail Afridi was appointed to “fully support and promote” terrorists and their enablers.
He made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Information and KP 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 seek to destabilize the country would not be tolerated.
“The person in prison is the main sponsor of the terrorists,” he told reporters, adding that the facilitators “have received his support” and those who foment instability “will not succeed.” He added that the PTI founder described terrorists as “good people” and advocated negotiations with them.
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Pointing to Afridi and the PTI founder, Tarar said: “This same person and the one currently in jail brought terrorists back to Pakistan and installed them, and to date this facilitation continues. It is unfortunate that the entire disruptive faction of PTI is acting as facilitator for terrorists.”
He alleged that militants were actively aided during Khan’s tenure and singled out Afridi as a beneficiary of this policy, saying he was lured into provincial politics to strengthen the support network for militancy.
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 declared fugitive Murad Saeed and sympathizer of terrorist networks,” he said.
The information minister strongly condemned the attacks on civilians, saying 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 London’s judgment as “a resounding slap in the face” to those who sought to undermine state institutions.
He said the decision confirmed the government’s position and exposed the “baseless allegations” made against Pakistani institutions.
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Tarar further accused the PTI government of dismantling the National Action Plan, thereby weakening the country’s anti-terrorism efforts.
“During the tenure of PTI, terrorists were brought back to Pakistan, causing serious damage to the nation,” he said, recalling that peace was restored thanks to military operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, which “broke the backs 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 although provincial leadership changes are a common political issue, KP continues to suffer from poor governance and a growing terrorist threat.
He said the “Kohistan scandal” exposed large-scale corruption under PTI rule, adding that the party founder “worked only against the state and its institutions”.
He further claimed that the PTI had left Pakistan “on the brink of bankruptcy”, but under the current government, “the country’s economy is now recovering”.
