ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's interior minister said Sunday that the government of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province backed out of a series of security commitments at the last minute of negotiations, warning that the province is "in a state of war" and that security should not be politicized.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi made the remarks in a statement posted on the social media platform X. He said the provincial government withdrew from all the pledges during the final stage of talks Saturday night.
"Security should not be given a political color," Naqvi said.
According to Naqvi, the provincial government had agreed to a written agreement and to submit a plan within 72 hours detailing how it would be carried out. He did not say which party or parties had conducted the talks, and the provincial government did not immediately respond to his claims.
Among the commitments Naqvi said had been agreed:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not allow militants freedom of action or provide them safe havens, and would unequivocally condemn the Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, and other militant groups. He also named the "TTA" among the groups to be condemned, without elaborating.
The province would review the Police Act 2026 in light of concerns about the security situation and political interference.
The provincial government would back the national policy on Afghan refugees and close Afghan camps in the province, and would maintain no contact with Afghanistan's interim government.
The province would provide sufficient funds for counterterrorism operations and the police, take full responsibility for counterterrorism measures and increase cooperation with the armed forces.
The two sides also agreed on decisions concerning counterterrorism in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas, known as FATA, and the districts merged into the province, as well as on implementing the National Action Plan, Pakistan's national counterterrorism strategy.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has been at the center of a surge in militant violence in recent years.
