Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were imposed “under extreme compulsion.” He made the remarks at a meeting of the federal apex committee in Peshawar, convened to review the province’s security situation.
The prime minister was in Peshawar for his first visit to the province since governor’s rule and the emergency took effect on October 11. Field Marshal Asim Munir, who serves as Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, attended along with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, federal ministers and newly appointed provincial advisers.
Shehbaz vows development and sharp attack on PTI
Addressing those present, Shehbaz described Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a very beautiful province and voiced hope that the government would speed up its development. “I hope we work hard day and night and speedily make progress towards development and prosperity,” he said.
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He also criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the deteriorating security situation, arguing that the province had turned into a “cradle of peace” six years earlier. Promising a turnaround with the field marshal’s cooperation, he said the province would regain its happiness and receive development on a par with other provinces.
Shehbaz said peace had returned across Pakistan, including KP, by 2017 and 2018, thanks to sacrifices by the armed forces, security institutions and civilians. He put the death toll from the war on terrorism at around 80,000 and said the conflict had also cost the country billions of dollars in economic losses.
Allegations against the previous provincial government
The prime minister accused the PTI-led government of inviting militants back once peace had been established, saying this undermined the sacrifices made to defeat militancy. He added that the people of the province had paid the heaviest price, and that several political families had also suffered losses.
Shehbaz alleged that the “previous” provincial government had neglected education, healthcare and public safety. He said 5,000 police posts had stayed vacant during its tenure and that the Safe City project remained unfinished. He also faulted the lack of attention to the Counter-Terrorism Department, police training and modern weapons and equipment for security personnel.
According to the prime minister, more than Rs800 billion had been allocated to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award for counterterrorism. He recalled that under the 2010 NFC Award, the provinces had agreed to provide extra resources to the province, which he described as the frontline in the fight against terrorism. He expressed regret that militancy had resurged despite this funding.
He further levelled corruption allegations against the “previous” provincial government. He claimed Rs100 billion had been embezzled from a clean drinking water project and that corruption worth Rs37 billion had been uncovered in the Kohistan mega scandal. He also alleged that contracts under the placer gold project had gone to favoured individuals. These claims were made by the prime minister and have not been independently verified in the report.
Advisory council, allied support and tributes
Shehbaz said an advisory council of experts from various fields had been set up to help address the province’s problems. He thanked allied parties for backing the decision, naming President Zardari and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, and pledged that the federal government would work with the military leadership to improve security and deliver basic facilities.
The prime minister also expressed grief over deaths caused by a school roof collapse. He said the people of KP had endured years of deprivation and deserved access to basic services.
Describing the province as the land of “Rahman Baba” and “Khushal Khan Khattak,” he pledged to restore peace and happiness, and to turn the people’s hopes for prosperity into reality.
