Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has voiced strong support for the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Speaking at a meeting in London, he said the step was necessary and should have been taken much earlier to stop the province’s deteriorating law and order situation from slipping out of control.
Sharif said conditions in KP had grown increasingly alarming under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, and that federal authorities should have stepped in sooner. He described the emergency as an essential move toward restoring order and tackling the security and administrative problems facing the province.
Nawaz blames PTI for damage to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The three-time former prime minister accused PTI of causing serious harm to KP during its nearly 13 years in power. He alleged that successive PTI administrations failed to deliver effective governance and neglected the interests of ordinary people.
Sharif said the people of KP are patriotic and deserve better leadership. He added that PTI had not fulfilled its responsibilities towards the province and its residents, and said the province had finally been freed from PTI’s rule, which he called a major relief for its people.
He also took aim at the use of provincial resources in a confrontation with the federal government. Sharif asked in which country a provincial chief minister could use official resources to march on the federal capital and challenge the federation. He further questioned using the resources of one province against Islamabad and other provinces, arguing that such actions undermined responsible governance and the relationship between the federation and its constituent units.
Presidential approval and PTI’s court challenge
Sharif’s remarks followed President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of the emergency and governor’s rule in KP on October 11. The president acted on recommendations from the federal cabinet headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The federal government justified the decision by pointing to a worsening security situation. It also accused the PTI-led provincial administration of not cooperating adequately in the fight against terrorism. As a result, the PTI-led provincial government was suspended and executive authority passed to the governor under the emergency arrangements.
PTI has strongly opposed the move, calling it unconstitutional and politically motivated. The party has challenged the emergency and governor’s rule in the Peshawar High Court, seeking the restoration of the elected provincial government. Sharif, however, maintained that the intervention was overdue and necessary given conditions in the province.
PML-N pledges commitment to national development
Turning to the wider political and economic picture, Sharif said the PML-N remained fully committed to Pakistan’s development, stability and prosperity. He said federal and provincial governments were working to improve the lives of ordinary citizens and to address the country’s challenges.
He stressed that public welfare and national development remained the central priorities of his party.
