Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has stated that the ongoing wave of terrorism necessitated the “Azm-e-Istehkam” operation and criticised the opposition for their lack of preparation and response to the budget. Speaking at the budget session in National Assembly on Sunday, Tarar emphasised the need for the operation due to the recent surge in terrorist activities. “This wave of terrorism has made the Azm-e-Istehkam operation necessary,” he said. Tarar targeted the opposition, accusing them of engaging in baseless criticism without proper analysis of the budget. “The opposition has no preparation for the budget. They are only interested in criticism for the sake of criticism. They do not discuss the budget; they are more focused on slogans,” he stated. He argued that there should have been consultations on which segments of society should receive relief in the budget. “The opposition should have formed a shadow cabinet and presented a shadow budget. They criticised the budget without even reading it,” he added. The minister also condemned the opposition’s role in the past, referring to their dealings with the Taliban. “These are the people who brought the Taliban back. Who defined ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban? When a soldier is shot, the bullet does not specify if it is from a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Taliban,” he remarked. Tarar stressed the need to stop street justice and highlighted the government’s commitment to both the protection of minorities and the finality of the Prophethood (PBUH). “We are the custodians of the finality of the Prophethood (PBUH) and the rights of minorities. Today, the opposition should stand with us to protect minorities,” he concluded.