The federal government is aiming to clear terrorism-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within four to six months, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said in the National Assembly. He was defending the decision to impose governor’s rule and an emergency in the province.
Chaudhry said the government is also setting aside Rs160 billion for police capacity-building, health, education, sanitation and infrastructure, with most of the money directed at 12 districts hit hardest by militancy. “We are making every effort to clear these areas of terrorists within four to six months,” he said.
Minister defends governor’s rule and emergency in KP
Chaudhry said the federal government turned to governor’s rule and emergency measures because, in its view, the PTI-led provincial government had not cooperated adequately on counterterrorism. He argued that verbal assurances were not enough, given that the provincial leadership had publicly opposed federal steps to eliminate terrorism.
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He rejected claims that the federal government was politically victimising PTI, saying the action was aimed at terrorists and at those who had taken up arms against the writ of the state. He also accused militants of planning attacks from Afghanistan before entering Pakistan to target civilians and law enforcement personnel. Chaudhry added that the government had pursued negotiations to settle political differences before the emergency was imposed.
Rs160 billion package for affected districts
Chaudhry said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the Rs160 billion grant at an apex committee meeting in Peshawar. The meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, and senior civilian and military officials.
The first priority, the minister said, is strengthening provincial police, including weapons, armoured vehicles and other equipment needed to confront militants. Other funds will go to health, education, sanitation and infrastructure. Part of the money will complete projects that had been pending for 12 years, a delay Chaudhry blamed on the PTI-led provincial government. The largest share will go to the 12 terrorism-affected districts.
How the emergency powers would apply in practice
Chaudhry said governor’s rule under Article 234 of the Constitution applies across the whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the emergency under Article 232 also covers the entire province. The 12 districts have been given special status, he said, because militancy has hit them more severely. The arrangement would allow police and security agencies there to seek federal assistance directly, without routing requests through the chief minister’s or governor’s secretariats.
The minister’s remarks follow President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of emergency measures and governor’s rule in the province on October 11, on the recommendation of the federal cabinet. The government cited a deteriorating security situation and what it described as inadequate provincial cooperation. PTI rejected that justification and challenged the measures in court. The government later set up an 11-member advisory council and, on October 17, appointed 48 members to a separate council for the 12 districts, following jirga consultations.
