Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing a meeting of the apex committee to review the overall security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, state media reported on Thursday.
The premier arrived in Peshawar earlier in the day on his first visit to the province since the imposition of governor’s rule and the declaration of an emergency on October 11, according to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The Centre imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP on October 11, citing the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The decisions were also endorsed by the Parliament last week amid protests by the opposition.
State-run Radio Pakistan, citing sources, reported that the meeting was being attended by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi as well as federal and provincial ministers.
Senior military leadership is also participating in the apex committee meeting, it added.
It was further reported that the meeting will review the overall security situation in KP and measures being taken to combat terrorism.
Governor Kundi, along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, chaired a meeting of the apex committee a day after governor’s rule was imposed.
In the meeting, the governor — who is now in charge of running the province — assured Naqvi he would enforce all policies of the federal government and work together with the security forces for peace and prosperity of the province.
Kundi asserted that under the new set-up, tackling terrorism would be the priority.
Later that day, Kundi, addressing a press conference, called for greater coordination between the Centre and the province, stressing that policies on counterterrorism will “come from Islamabad [..] not Kabul,” in an apparent jibe at the PTI-led KP government, which has been accused of maintaining a “nexus” with terrorist groups by federal ministers.
The Centre’s move to impose governor’s rule and emergency in KP also followed a mobilisation drive and protest march by the PTI and in opposition at the Centre, to demand the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan.
Intense negotiations between the two sides a week before the imposition of governor’s rule had failed to yield any results, with counterterrorism policy being one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their talks.
The PTI said it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP, which the Centre denied. It also called for reviewing the counterterrorism policy, while the latter criticised the KP government’s efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objected to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.
Soon after, the Centre also authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in KP.
Federal ministers have also alleged that the PTI-led government in KP had a “nexus” with terrorist groups, stating that the province’s security situation necessitated the imposition of emergency there.