ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that the call made by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the so-called long march has fizzled out into nothing, providing yet another setback for Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi.
Addressing a news conference along with Coordinator to the Prime Minister Ikhtiar Wali Khan, the minister said the PTI had no preparation for its planned long march to Islamabad.
The PTI’s political position in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is at its lowest point, he said, adding that the KP chief minister had lost credibility among the party and its workers.
He said any future call for a long march from the CM KPK would “not matter anymore.” He added that PTI did not know how it would manage face-saving after the chief minister lost his writ within his own party and among workers, both administratively and politically.
Had he been in the chief minister’s place, Tarar said, he would not have been able to face party workers after withdrawing from a long march call.
Reiterating his earlier challenge to the party to go ahead with the so-called long march, Tarar said he knew exactly how much that challenge had perturbed the PTI.
Responding to PTI’s assertion that the march was their own decision, he said, “This is not their march, nor their will.”
Reiterating that the PTI is the “B-team of TTP and C-team of TTA,” he said the PTI was the only political party in Pakistan abstaining from condemning terrorists, noting that he himself spent six hours in Kohat while the PTI leadership stayed only fifteen minutes after an attack from terrorists.
He said the people of the province remained courageous, citing remarks by the father of Faheemullah Shaheed, who said he was proud of his son’s martyrdom, and an injured person who told him he would “fight until the last drop of blood” against terrorists.
Tarar said CM Sohail Afridi did not want to own responsibility for action against terrorists nor showed any intention of taking such action, linking this to what he called a cowardice rooted in “terror-crime nexuses.”
He said over 4,600 terrorist attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026, with 400 personnel martyred and 1,500 injured, adding that the provincial government had paid no heed to the issue and remained reluctant to act against terrorists.
“We know that you do not want to take action against terrorists and it is not your policy, but rest assured the federal government is committed to root out terrorism,” he said.
Speaking about the historic address made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the United Nations, he said the whole world has been appreciating the way the prime minister has fought the case of entire Muslim Ummah at the UNGA.
He said the nation is proud of the prime minister’s speech, in which he raised the case of Palestinian children and condemned Israeli aggression in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, noting that Palestinian representatives present in the hall applauded him.
He said these scenes reflected the vision of a nation that stood with Palestine shoulder to shoulder, adding that Pakistan’s support for Palestinians extended beyond words to action, citing aid sent by the government to Gaza, the West Bank and the rest of Palestine.
He acknowledged the role of Jamaat-e-Islami and its Khidmat Foundation in delivering this aid. Tarar said at the UNGA, the prime minister had also raised the issue of Palestinian medical students whose education had been disrupted, warning this could reduce the number of doctors available to Palestine in future.
He acknowledged that Jamaat-e-Islami had taken up the matter of these students’ medical education in Pakistan with the prime minister, and said boarding, lodging and educational needs of the Palestinian students in Pakistan were now being looked after by the government on the prime minister’s directives.
The minister said the prime minister had categorically condemned Islamophobia and the Hindutva ideology in India, along with its oppressions of Muslims, and had called for these issues to be addressed on priority.
He said the prime minister described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein,” affirming that the right to self-determination belonged to every Kashmiri and that Pakistan would continue its political, legal, diplomatic and moral support until that right is realized.
Tarar said the prime minister had also reminded India of its defeat and Pakistan’s befitting response under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and had described any attempt to unilaterally revoke the Indus Waters Treaty as an act of war.
He noted the prime minister had declared Makkah as Pakistan’s red line, affirming the country would not compromise on it and stood shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia.
Tarar termed the address as the speech of a statesman reflecting the aspirations of every Pakistani and Muslim. He noted that when the prime minister spoke about peace, US President Donald Trump shared that portion of the speech on his platform Truth Social. However, that same part of the clip also pointed to India’s humiliated defeat against Pakistan.
He said the world is also witnessing Pakistan’s critical role in resolving global crises linked to the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb, with the prime minister offering not just a position but a way forward on these global chokepoints.
He quoted the prime minister’s concluding remarks: “War is an option and peace is also an option, but the courageous one.” He said global think tanks have been appreciating the speech, adding that Pakistan is not limited to words but also taking the necessary measures for global peace.
Responding to a question, Tarar said the Interior Minister has rightly taken up the matter of a new privilege created by the KPK Assembly for its members, cautioning against privileges that would “further spread lawlessness.”
He said the province had already failed to establish a Counter-Terrorism Department, forensic lab or safe city, yet now sought to require prior permission before a member of the assembly could be arrested even if a crime was committed. He said this reflected an effort to strengthen a “political-crime nexus” with no regard for the public.
He said the KPK police remained committed to countering terrorism, but that the PTI was doing them an injustice by depriving them of equipment, capacity-building and a proper ecosystem to fight crime. He said the provincial government remained oblivious of the terrorism issue.
To another query, Tarar said a backdoor channel always remained open, adding that the PTI leadership was afraid to speak truth outside meeting rooms. He said the federal government wanted “Awami Raj” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, through the establishment of hospitals and schools, ruling out any imposition of governor’s rule in the province.
To another query, he said the press conference was being held at the Red Zone to demonstrate to journalists that all routes in Islamabad remained open to the public.
Tarar said the body of Captain Abu Zar Warriach had been received in Gujranwala and buried with full honours, expressing pride in the officer, who belonged to Rahwali. He said security forces continued to sacrifice their lives for the country, and that he would happily do the same if given the chance, asking whether any PTI member could say likewise.
He said the provincial government should tell the nation where the annual budget allocated for law and order was being spent, adding that the provincial government held the primary responsibility for countering terrorism in the province.
