Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has promised to supply the province’s police with the equipment they need to confront terrorism, and he announced a welfare package for officers. Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar on Friday, he said counterterrorism is still the foremost task for the province, which is under emergency and governor’s rule.
Kundi said the provincial administration would ensure police and other law enforcement agencies receive the gear required to counter militancy. The government also plans a package for police personnel whose salaries have stayed flat for years, he added.
“Peace and security are our top priority,” Kundi said, adding that development and prosperity would follow once calm returns to the province.
Also read: Kundi vows to turn Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into peaceful province
Police support extends to the Federal Constabulary
The governor said the administration was also weighing the needs of the Frontier Constabulary, which has recently been renamed the Federal Constabulary. He framed these steps as part of a wider effort to make the response to terrorism stronger.
Kundi’s remarks followed an apex committee meeting in Peshawar a day earlier, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and senior federal and provincial officials attended the session.
Shehbaz Sharif blames previous provincial governments
At the meeting, Shehbaz defended the emergency and governor’s rule as a step taken under what he called “extreme compulsion”. He said the federal government could not stay a silent observer as terrorism rose again in the province.
The prime minister accused earlier provincial administrations of failing to build up the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department, even though they had received large amounts of resources. He labelled their handling of the worsening security situation “criminal negligence”.
He also said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had once again been left “wounded” by militancy, despite years of sacrifice by civilians, police and the armed forces that had helped restore peace nationwide. Shehbaz further alleged that militants were allowed to return after terrorism had largely been brought under control by 2017-18.
Federal intervention and the legal challenge in Peshawar
The federal cabinet recommended the measures, and the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in the province on October 11. President Asif Ali Zardari approved them under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. The Centre pointed to the deteriorating security situation and what it called inadequate cooperation from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government on counterterrorism.
Under the intervention, former chief minister Sohail Afridi, his cabinet and advisers stopped holding office, and executive authority passed to Kundi. The federal government then set up an 11-member advisory council and a separate administrative structure for 12 terrorism-affected districts.
On October 17, it named 48 members to a Regional Representative and Development Council covering the designated districts, following jirga consultations. The National Assembly and the Senate approved the measures on October 14, and a joint sitting of Parliament backed the intervention the next day by 214 votes to 56 amid opposition protests.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has rejected the federal government’s justification and challenged the emergency and governor’s rule in court. The Peshawar High Court is hearing petitions arising from the federal intervention.
Security first, then investment and zero tolerance for graft
Kundi said the province would put restoring peace ahead of its broader development agenda, arguing that better security is needed to draw domestic and foreign investment. He added that the federal government had agreed to provide the Rs160 billion sought for development and would offer more support if required.
The governor pledged zero tolerance for corruption, irregularities in government contracts and politically influenced transfers and postings. He also promised action against officials found responsible for wrongdoing in the handling of wheat at the Azakhel warehouse.
Kundi urged political parties to work together on the province’s security and development challenges. He said the provincial government would press its demands on the Centre through dialogue and argument rather than confrontation.
