Tarar alleges Sohail Afridi picked as K-P CM for ties to militants

Information minister vows firm action against terrorism, blames PTI for undoing peace efforts

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan of being the “chief sponsor” of terrorists and of facilitating the return and sheltering of militants. 

He alleged that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister-designate Sohail Afridi was nominated to “completely support and promote” terrorists and their facilitators.

He made the remarks while speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside the Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Information and K-P Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan on Thursday.

Tarar said the recent London court ruling against PTI amounted to a political defeat for the party and reinforced the state’s narrative that those seeking to destabilise the country would not be tolerated.

“The person sitting in jail is the chief sponsor of terrorists,” he told reporters, adding that 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 for negotiations with them.

Read: Imran Khan orders PTI lawmakers to quit Punjab Assembly committees

Pointing towards Afridi and the PTI founder, Tarar said, “That very person and the one currently in jail brought terrorists back to Pakistan and settled them, and to this day, that facilitation continues. It is unfortunate that the entire disruptive faction of PTI acts as facilitators for terrorists.”

He alleged that militants were actively enabled during Khan’s tenure and named Afridi as a beneficiary of that policy, saying he was brought into provincial politics to strengthen militancy’s support network.

Tarar also criticised Ali Amin Gandapur, suggesting he was removed as K-P chief minister for failing to carry out such facilitation to the satisfaction of PTI’s founder. “He asked for someone close to the declared fugitive Murad Saeed and sympathetic towards terrorist networks,” he claimed.

The information minister strongly condemned attacks on civilians, saying those responsible “deserve no mercy.” He emphasised that Pakistan’s security policy “is made in Islamabad and will remain so,” and not dictated by any external influence, including Afghanistan.

Highlighting what he called the broader failure of PTI’s “anti-state narrative,” the minister described the London judgment as “a resounding slap in the face” for 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.

Also Read: TLP using Gaza cause to stir unrest: Talal Chaudhry

Tarar further accused the PTI government of dismantling the National Action Plan, weakening the country’s counterterrorism efforts.

“During PTI’s tenure, terrorists were brought back 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 that their sacrifices “will be written in golden words.”

Ikhtiar Wali Khan also said that while changes in provincial leadership are a routine political matter, K-P continues to suffer from poor governance and a rising threat of terrorism.

He added the “Kohistan scandal” had exposed large-scale corruption during PTI’s rule, adding that the party’s founder “has only worked against the state and its institutions.”

He further claimed that PTI had left Pakistan “on the verge of bankruptcy,” but under the current government, “the country’s economy is now recovering.”