PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has called for action under the country’s high-treason law against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz over remarks linking the province to terrorism in Punjab.
The provincial assembly passed a majority resolution condemning Nawaz’s remarks. It recommended that necessary action be taken against her under Article 6 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which deals with high treason.
The resolution followed comments by Nawaz that Punjab faced greater security threats from neighbouring provinces than from neighbouring countries. She also said terrorism was entering Punjab through its borders.
The KP Assembly criticised Nawaz, federal minister Rana Sanaullah and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari for statements that it said linked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces to the threat of terrorism in Punjab.
The resolution said terrorism was a national challenge that required a collective response.
It also condemned the use of terrorism for political point-scoring and warned against creating divisions between the provinces.
KP lawmakers accused Nawaz of undermining inter-provincial harmony and national unity. Several members also accused her of giving India a “clean chit” through her remarks.
KP Information Minister Shafi Jan said the statement could be used against Pakistan in international legal proceedings. He also criticised the Punjab government’s handling of displaced people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during previous military operations.
Awami National Party lawmaker Mohammad Nisar described the remarks as an insult to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The resolution comes amid growing political tensions between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which governs Punjab, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which rules Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In December 2025, the Punjab Assembly, where Nawaz’s PML-N holds the majority, adopted a resolution calling for a ban on jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his PTI party. The resolution accused Khan and his party of being “anti-state” and undermining national stability.
The latest dispute highlights the increasingly sharp political divide between the two provincial governments.
PML-N lawmaker Amina Sardar defended Nawaz during the KP Assembly debate. She said the Punjab chief minister had not referred to Pashtuns in her remarks.
Sardar accused KP government members of misrepresenting Nawaz’s comments and using them to fuel tensions between the provinces.
The KP resolution does not itself impose a legal penalty on Nawaz. It calls for the relevant authorities to consider action under Article 6.
