LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has defended the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying it had to choose between protecting the country and safeguarding the party’s political interests, and that it prioritised the state and the public interest over politics.

“The decision [to impose governor’s rule] is neither a matter of pride nor happiness for the PPP, but the state’s interests had to be placed above political gains,” PPP Central Punjab Secretary General Syed Hassan Murtaza said at a press conference at the party’s Model Town secretariat here on Tuesday.

Flanked by PPP Central Secretary General Humayun Khan, Information Secretary Shahzad Saeed Cheema and Rana Farooq Saeed, Mr Murtaza said the party supported a difficult and politically unpopular constitutional decision after making efforts to resolve the situation through dialogue, which failed.

He said the notification signed by President Asif Ali Zardari followed constitutional requirements and that the party had accepted the political cost of supporting the measure in the larger interest of the state.

Says party preferred state’s interests to its own politics

Mr Humayun, who is visiting Punjab to discuss organisational matters, said the party had faced a choice between saving politics and saving the country. “Pakistan and its people come first; politics comes afterwards,” he said, adding that the PPP had chosen national interests over its political considerations.

Mr Murtaza said the party had pursued negotiations and dialogue to improve the situation, but the lack of a positive response by the PTI further complicated the situation.

The government, in coordination with the security institutions, tried to restore normalcy, he added.

He argued that when a provincial chief minister was unwilling to engage in dialogue, alternative constitutional measures to improve law and order in the province became necessary.

Criticising the PTI, he said the party should focus on public concerns, unemployment and law and order, instead of making resolution of these issues conditional to the release of an individual.

Had the PTI staged protests over public issues, its position would have been politically recorded, he said, adding that paralysing the system for an individual’s release was not appropriate.

Mr Murtaza said the PPP had taken a month to decide on imposition of governor’s rule and attempted to resolve the situation through political engagement during that period. He questioned whether allowing insecurity and what he described as lawlessness in the province would have been a better alternative.

He said peace and security were essential for employment generation, business activity and economic stability. Referring to the tax burden on agriculture and difficulties faced by industry because of the super tax, he said sustained economic growth required investor confidence, political stability and continuity of commercial activity.

Mr Murtaza recalled that the PPP itself had faced governor’s rule in the past and had suffered under military regimes. Citing the sacrifices rendered by PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto, he said the party’s history was marked by struggle for the state, democracy and the people.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2026