KP Assembly seeks Article 6 action against Punjab CM

• Passes resolution against Maryam Nawaz; terms her remarks about ‘security threats from neighbouring provinces’ harmful to national unity
• PML-N claims her statement is being misread, misrepresented

PESHAWAR: After suspending the day’s agenda, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday passed a majority resolution seeking action against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz under Article 6 of the Constitution over her remarks that Punjab faced greater security threats from “neighbouring provinces than neighbouring countries” and that terrorism entered the province through its borders.

The resolution, moved by Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi during a sitting chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, said such statements could harm national unity, spread hatred among the provinces and undermine the federation.

It paid tribute to those who had laid down their lives for the country in the war against terrorism, saying the menace was a challenge for the entire country and could be defeated only through joint efforts.

Earlier, Housing Minister Amjad Ali said the Punjab chief minister’s statement was not directed against PTI alone but against the entire province, calling it shameful and insulting and saying it reflected her arrogance.

He said the Punjab chief minister had undermined the state’s narrative as the state had, for the past two years, been pointing fingers at India over terrorism in Pakistan.

“She must apologise on the floor of the house for saying that Punjab faces threats not from India but from other provinces,” he said.

Mr Ali also questioned who had trained and financially supported the Taliban, turned KP into a battlefield and supported the then Mujahideen for 45 years, adding that as soon as the US lost interest, the “Mujahideen” came to be called terrorists.

Information Minister Shafi Jan claimed that the Punjab chief minister had given a clean chit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned whether the army’s narrative, being built for the past four years, was correct.

He told the house that the statement had been issued intentionally and could be used against Pakistan in the International Court of Justice.

He added that when a military operation was launched against militants in KP and locals fled their homes, then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had blocked the entry of displaced persons into Punjab.

He also alleged that PTI was not involved in the May 9 riots, but those who benefited from the situation were responsible.

The speaker then asked Mr Afridi to read out the oath of judges and questioned whether judges were adhering to it. Mr Afridi said any judge who followed the oath was either superseded or transferred.

Mr Afridi also read out the oath of the chief election commissioner and said the incumbent chief election commissioner’s tenure had ended on Jan 26, 2025, but he remained in office and was being facilitated.

On the speaker’s orders, Mr Afridi also read out the oath of the armed forces, after which the chair questioned whether the three institutions were adhering to their respective oaths.

“Are courts delivering justice? Is the ECP performing its duties? Are the armed forces abiding by their oath?” the speaker asked, to which lawmakers replied in the negative.

Higher Education Minister Meena Khan told the house that the issue was not about any individual but concerned three provinces. “We are fighting the state’s war,” he said.

ANP’s Muhammad Nisar said the statement was an insult to the people of KP and Balochistan.

“This war has been imposed on us to appease the Americans,” he said, adding that Punjab had not felt its impact.

He questioned why, if security forces could maintain law and order in Punjab, they could not do the same in KP.

However, PML-N’s Amna Sardar said her leader had never named Pakhtuns in her statement and accused the treasury benches of spreading hatred.

She said the word “Pakhtun” had been added to the statement by treasury members and argued that Maryam Nawaz’s remarks were being misread and misrepresented.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2026