ISLAMABAD, Oct 15 (APP): Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Thursday that people in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had welcomed the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule by distributing sweets and observing it as a day of deliverance.
Speaking at a joint sitting of Parliament, he expressed concern over the law and order situation in the province and said the government’s primary responsibility was to protect the lives and property of citizens.
Yousaf said the provincial government should have supported operations against terrorism but had opposed them.
The minister said the KP government had been in power for 13 years but had failed to improve health, education and road infrastructure.
Referring to the road leading to the Lowari Tunnel in Chitral, he said it had fallen into disrepair despite being built during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Yousaf said the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had become necessary under the prevailing circumstances.
He stressed the need to prioritise law and order, public safety and development in the province.
He said the 18th Constitutional Amendment had given greater powers to the provinces, which also had resources to carry out development projects.
The minister said the provincial government should have supported large-scale operations against terrorism, but its response had been disappointing.
He also alleged that statements opposing anti-terrorism operations had been made at public gatherings, adding that the implications of such positions needed to be taken seriously.
He stressed that once peace was restored, the provincial administration should focus on development and addressing public grievances.