Senator Faisal Vawda has said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s current administration may be swapped out if it underperforms, insisting the province has no room for error. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, the former PTI leader said he hoped Governor Faisal Karim Kundi would do well, but added that his position would ultimately depend on results.
Vawda said the effects of the new arrangement should become visible within 60 days, while residents could expect relief within 180 days.
Governor Kundi faces a performance test and deadlines
Vawda warned that Kundi would be removed if he failed to deliver. “If Faisal Kundi does not perform, he will be replaced,” he said, adding that others would take over if the team could not produce results.
He argued that the public cared chiefly about relief and that every decision from now on would be measured against performance. The senator also maintained that the new setup had been created through the democratic system.
Emergency rule and the new administrative arrangement in KP
Vawda backed the imposition of emergency in the province, saying the law-and-order situation had been alarming and that emergency had become unavoidable. He added that the move had been made in the interest of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
President Asif Ali Zardari imposed emergency and governor’s rule last Sunday, setting aside the PTI-led provincial government. The president acted on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, following recommendations from the federal cabinet and reports on the province’s law-and-order situation.
Under the arrangement, Governor Kundi performs the provincial government’s functions on behalf of the federation, supported by an 11-member advisory council. Parliament exercises the legislative powers normally held by the provincial assembly. The presidential proclamation cited a surge in terrorist attacks, including strikes on infrastructure, government installations and law enforcement agencies, and blamed the former provincial government for failing to show the commitment needed to confront militancy. It also referred to a governor’s report describing a breakdown of the constitutional machinery.
Vawda criticises PTI record and rules out provincial division
Vawda described the PTI’s 13 years in power in the province as deeply damaging, accusing the party of failing to improve education and health. He asked what the party had achieved in that period, saying it had done nothing for the province’s schools and hospitals.
He further alleged that the PTI had a nexus with terrorists and questioned who was responsible for what he described as a 195% rise in terrorism. He said soldiers were being killed in attacks and that civilians and security forces were making sacrifices in the fight against militancy.
On the province’s status, Vawda said neither Khyber Pakhtunkhwa nor any other province would be divided, dismissing speculation about territorial changes. He also said an option to reboot Pakistan was under consideration, without explaining what it would involve, and asserted that no political party currently held meaningful political capital.
Vawda said political, state and anti-country terrorism would all be addressed, and that economic terrorism would not be spared. He claimed arrests had taken place through collusion but offered no details. He further said eight members of the KP cabinet had been in touch with him and that he had told eight PTI colleagues the show was over.
