PESHAWAR: Federal information minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of the governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The federal government has no intention to declare the governor’s rule here [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]. However, we feel that this province needs people’s rule and good governance,” the minister told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club.

He said that the PTI wouldn’t be allowed to enter Islamabad on Sept 27 even if it attempted to use violent or unlawful means.

“We reject the politics of violence and confrontation,” he said, adding that public resources should be spent on people’s welfare instead of rallies and street protests.

Says province needs ‘people’s rule’, good governance

The minister said that the PTI leadership should abandon the path of confrontation and adopt dialogue and reconciliation.

“The PTI is resorting to unlawful means and planning an attack on the federal government to secure the release of a prisoner but that matter will be decided only according to the law,” he said, without naming PTI founder Imran Khan.

Press club president M Riaz and general secretary Alamgir Khan were also present on the occasion.

Mr Tarar criticised the PTI’s government in the province over lack of development despite a rule of over 13 years and said the government should focus on education, health, tourism and other public services instead of organising street protests in Islamabad.

He also criticised Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for issuing statements from Punjab while the provincial government faces serious governance and security challenges.

The federal minister said a chief minister should focus on serving his province, maintaining governance and providing facilities to residents.

He alleged that people’s money in KP had been used for staging rallies and political activities.

“The PTI government has given a free hand to influential and corrupt elements for illegal forest felling and mining in the province,” he said.

Mr Tarar said that the PTI leadership didn’t openly condemn terrorism, making people question its position on national issues.

He claimed that neither the chief minister nor provincial ministers regularly attended funerals of security personnel and civilians martyred in terrorist attacks.

Referring to the recent Kohat bombing, the federal minister said Afghanistan’s territory was used for the attack and that Pakistan had given a proper response to it.

He said security operations against terrorists would continue and no one would be allowed to disturb law and order.

Mr Tarar claimed that the federal government had provided Rs850 billion to the KP government through the NFC Award for implementation of the National Action Plan but the provincial government had no records of the expenditure.

He also questioned the PTI leadership’s call for negotiations, asking who the federal government should talk to.

“Who is the responsible person in the PTI,” he questioned.

The minister said the federal government would not allow anyone to deprive citizens of their rights and that public resources must be utilised for the people.

He said that the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building, which was damaged during the May 9 violence, had been reconstructed, while new studios had been established.

Mr Tarar invited journalists to use those facilities for producing podcasts and other content.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government in the Centre believed in press freedom and would take up the journalists’ problems at the federal level for effective resolution.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026