Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for a written agreement between the Centre and provinces to jointly combat terrorism. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Treatment Plant-I in Karachi, the PPP leader said that the federal and provincial governments must work together to address the worsening security situation.

Bilawal, the former foreign minister, also urged all political parties to keep political interests separate from the terrorism issue, warning that deteriorating conditions would not remain confined to a single province. He said that India is behind the terrorist activities originating from Afghanistan and criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for failing to give sufficient importance to terrorism despite frequent attacks in the province. He warned that if the provincial government did not cooperate with the Centre, constitutional options such as governor's rule or an emergency could eventually have to be considered.

Turning to political tensions between the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government over the former's decision to hold a long march towards Islamabad, Bilawal said all political parties should recognise the importance of ongoing negotiations and work towards a political solution in the national interest. The PTI had earlier postponed its planned long march towards Islamabad from September 27 to October 4, stating that the protest aims to secure the release of its jailed founding chairman, Imran Khan, and the restoration of constitutional supremacy.

The PPP chairman said political stability would strengthen democracy and enable the country to tackle terrorism more effectively without resorting to emergency measures. He noted that the federal government had previously considered imposing governor's rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the PPP believed every effort should first be made to find a political solution through dialogue.