Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday vowed that the federal government, which now runs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under governor’s rule, would make every effort possible to “bring back” progress to the province.
He made the remarks while chairing a meeting of the provincial apex committee in Peshawar, where he arrived 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 Oct 11.
The meeting, attended by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundar, reviewed KP’s overall security situation. Federal ministers and newly appointed provincial advisers were also present.
Addressing the committee, PM Shehbaz reiterated that emergency and governor’s rule had to be imposed “under extreme compulsion”.
He stated: “I promise that we will leave no stone unturned in bringing back the happiness and era of progress to this province, and in the practical realisation of the wishes, aspirations, and dreams of this province’s people that have been shattered due to the worst actions of recent years.”
The prime minister affirmed that the Centre “will place all possible resources at your feet”.
He added that the Advisory Council led by the governor, he, the president and the CDF “will ensure that this province, once again, not only matches the other provinces in the race for development, but I would be extremely happy if it moves even further ahead”.
The prime minister regretted that “terrorists were summoned back here” after peace had been established, “washing down all sacrifices down the drain”.
“There can be no greater enmity with the country than not honouring and respecting such sacrifices, not holding them in esteem,” he remarked, highlighting that young soldiers left their homes and families to defend their country.
The premier called for an “all-encompassing analysis as to why this happened”, adding that there was “no worse callousness, criminal negligence, and hostility towards the national interest than this”.
He said: “All issues of the people were pushed aside — whether it is education, healthcare, or protecting the lives and property of the people — and [having] matters with terrorists instead. I believe that no other example can be found of such hostility against the country, in terms of their attitudes, detachment, and callousness.”
PM Shehbaz remarked that the province was “shattered with wounds due to the circumstances created in the past several years”.
He highlighted the poor law and order situation over the past six years, recalling that security forces and law enforcement agencies had made sacrifices to establish peace in KP.
He added that “80,000 people were martyred and the [economy] suffered a loss of several hundred billion dollars. Only then, in 2018, was peace completely restored in this country”.
Describing the province as “very beautiful”, the premier expressed his hope that the government “work hard day and night and speedily make it progress towards development and prosperity”.
“This is the province that is the first extremely strong wall of the homeland,” he noted.
Emergency amid security challenges
The Centre had imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP 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.
Governor Kundi, along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, had chaired a meeting of the provincial 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.