Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar has said the President, on the advice of the Prime Minister, today promulgated Emergency and Governor's Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.

He was addressing a joint news conference in Islamabad this evening along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, and MNA Samar Bilour.

Azam Nazeer Tarar said under the Constitution, the provincial government led by the Chief Minister has ceased to exist. He said all the powers that rested with the Chief Minister, the provincial cabinet, and the advisors have been handed over to the Governor.

The Minister for Law said an eleven-member Advisory Council has been constituted, which will work under the Governor to run the government's affairs.

He further said that under another proclamation, a separate Secretariat has been established under the Governor and the Chief Secretary to run affairs of twelve districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which will be directly under the Federation.

Azam Nazeer Tarar said under Article 245 of the Constitution, the army has also been deployed to assist the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in maintaining law and order.

He said promulgation of Emergency is a purely constitutional option available to the Prime Minister under the Constitution.

He further said that the fundamental grounds for imposition of Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the deteriorating law and order situation and lack of support by the KP government in the fight against terrorism.

Azam Nazeer Tarar said a 196 percent increase has been recorded in incidents of terrorism and extremism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the past two and a half years. He further said that similarly, incidents of damaging installations and properties and martyrdom of law enforcement agencies' personnel have also increased in the province.

The Minister for Law said under the Constitution, separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate and a joint sitting of Parliament are being summoned within the next few days to endorse these steps.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was in an "unholy alliance" with terrorists, giving militant groups a free hand to operate in several districts.

He said the consensus among cabinet members at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister was that the PTI government in the province was working hand in glove with terrorists.

He said reports presented by the Intelligence Bureau and law enforcement agencies have revealed that the provincial government had empowered terrorists to carry out attacks and terrorist activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He questioned the PTI as to why it had sublet police stations to the Taliban in several districts.

He said the provincial government was constitutionally responsible for protecting the lives and property of ordinary citizens, but it had facilitated terrorist groups in carrying out terrorist activities.

He said the government not only failed to maintain law and order but had also empowered those responsible for violence, attacks on citizens, and the destruction of public places.

Attaullah Tarar also introduced the members of the KP Advisory Council along with their portfolios in the news conference.

These members include Kifayatullah Khan for the Home Department, Tariq Mahmood Pasha to take charge of the Finance Ministry, Amir Javed for Law, Dr. Syed Amir Abdullah for Education, Lieutenant General (Retd) Nigar Johar Khan for Health, Dr. Sarfaraz Ali Shah for Mines and Minerals, Dr. Muhammad Irshad for Industries and Commerce, Asif Rafiq Afridi for Communication and Works, Maulana Muhammad Tayyab Qureshi will look after Religious Affairs, Osman Saif Ullah Khan for Energy, and Samar Haroon Bilour will take charge of Information.

He said all members of the Advisory Council are seasoned professionals with proven expertise in their respective fields.

The Information Minister expressed confidence that their experience and professional capabilities would help improve governance and service delivery in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing the news conference, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said it was not an easy day today for us, as we have been making consistent and hectic efforts for over a month to take the KP government on board.

Mohsin Naqvi said he was personally in contact with the PTI leaders behind the scenes with the sole objective of securing their cooperation so that we could all fight the battle against terrorism collectively.

He said the sit-in by the PTI was not a matter of concern for the government, but issues related to terrorism were the prime concern.

He said the Federation and the provinces cannot have separate foreign policies. He said the KP government's links and connections with the Taliban are not secret now.

He further said that the war against terrorism requires a collective and united approach and all the provinces and the Federation have to collectively fight this menace.

Mohsin Naqvi said it was a clear stance of the Ministry of Interior that things are not related to politics, but cooperation in the fight against terrorism is the main issue. He mentioned that all efforts to engage the PTI remained futile.

He said had the issues been settled a couple of days ago, and had an agreement been reached at that time, the current situation would not have existed.

The Interior Minister said the entire leadership made every possible effort to prevent the imposition of Emergency and to engage the PTI to hold talks and negotiations and reach a final agreement to resolve the issues amicably.

Mohsin Naqvi prayed that Allah Almighty may grant success to our armed forces in the fight against terrorism.

Speaking on the occasion, MNA Samar Bilour said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was ruled by such a party which had no stake in the welfare of its masses, despite the fact that the people of the province rendered matchless sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

She said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are fed up now with the policies of the PTI government as the law and order situation was deteriorating rapidly, particularly in tribal areas and the southern part of the province.

Samar Bilour said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have now taken a sigh of relief following the steps of the Federal government. She said we will support all the initiatives and measures of the Federation aimed at easing the life of the people.