Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments now agree on how to confront terrorism, and that the provincial administration must take the lead if the campaign is to produce results. He made the remarks on Monday in Peshawar, at a provincial apex committee session chaired by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.
Naqvi acknowledged that the two governments had clashed significantly over the past two and a half years. He said they were now aligned on security priorities and described the change as a first, telling the meeting that the centre and the province were “on the same page”.
Emergency rule and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The meeting followed a major shift in the province’s administration. President Asif Ali Zardari had promulgated emergency rule and imposed governor’s rule a day earlier, suspending the provincial government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The move came amid worsening security concerns and rising tensions between Islamabad and the opposition party.
Under the measures announced on Sunday, executive powers in the province passed to the governor, and an 11-member advisory council was formed to oversee provincial affairs. The federal government has defended the decision, alleging that the provincial administration did not cooperate adequately with Islamabad on counterterrorism. The PTI has rejected both emergency rule and governor’s rule, saying the federal government is undermining the province’s electoral mandate and its autonomy.
Army deployment and plans for 12 sensitive districts
The apex committee was convened to review the province’s security situation, and a proposed deployment of army troops in 12 sensitive districts was expected to dominate the agenda. The federal government has already authorised the army to deploy under Article 245 of the Constitution, helping the civil administration keep law and order.
Naqvi also called for a five-district plan to bolster the police and other law enforcement bodies. He said the first phase would run for six months and focus on strengthening agencies in five districts. The committee is also preparing to review security arrangements in the 12 districts regarded as especially vulnerable to militancy.
Separately, the federal government has planned a dedicated secretariat to handle administrative matters in the 12 districts hit hardest by terrorism. It will operate under an additional chief secretary, and resources will be channelled into security and reconstruction work. Naqvi stressed that officers need adequate equipment, warning that police could not fight effectively if militants were better armed. He credited the governor and the corps commander for proposals to upgrade police capabilities, which he said could mark a turning point for the force.
Governor stresses results and coordination
Kundi said the provincial government, the federal government and security agencies would work together against terrorism and extremism. He said security was the government’s foremost priority and that authorities would meet the needs of the police, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other law enforcement bodies. He added that the province could make sacrifices in development but could not compromise on security.
The governor said the authorities had to align their priorities and improve coordination, and that the provincial government would be judged on its performance. He called for tangible improvements in security rather than symbolic gestures or publicity, and warned that officials unwilling to perform could be replaced. A separate security meeting he chaired on Sunday had already highlighted strengthening the police, the CTD and other agencies, with operational capacity identified as a priority.
Kundi also said terrorism had limited the movement and daily life of residents in affected areas, naming the following:
- Dera Ismail Khan
- Tank
- South Waziristan
He argued that restoring peace was essential to unlocking the province’s economic potential, including tourism, natural resources and investment. He said the apex committee would keep meeting regularly to share proposals, close coordination gaps and follow up on decisions.
Calm in the province over the past 24 hours
Naqvi praised the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the law enforcement agencies for their conduct over the previous 24 hours. He said there had been expectations that roads would be blocked and unrest would spread across the province, but the situation had remained peaceful. He said the federal and provincial governments would work together to defeat terrorism and would seek to fix the coordination gaps that had hampered their efforts in the past.
