Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pushed for quick-impact schemes to take precedence over extended projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing that residents need immediate help. Speaking at a meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary party in the province on Saturday, he said the government should act now rather than wait on lengthy schemes. “Long-term projects should be suspended,” he added.
The premier said the province, which has been under governor’s rule since the federal government imposed it on October 11, needs short-term steps to bring relief to its people. He suggested that modest measures, such as improving law and order, building a school and making sure medicines reach hospitals, would earn gratitude from residents who he said had been deprived for 13 years.
Governor’s rule and the new provincial setup
The PML-N-led federal government imposed governor’s rule and emergency in the province on October 11, which effectively ended the powers of the provincial government. The Centre had cited alleged shortcomings in the provincial government’s counterterrorism efforts as the reason for the decision.
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Under the new arrangement, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), exercises the provincial government’s functions on behalf of the federation, supported by an 11-member advisory council. Parliament is exercising the provincial assembly’s legislative powers. Shehbaz also said the PML-N had played an important role in promoting democratic traditions in the province, recalling that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had allowed the majority party in KP to form the provincial government after the 2013 general elections.
Prime minister questions the PTI’s record in KP
Shehbaz questioned what the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had achieved during its more than a decade in power in the province. Asking what the party had actually delivered, he said it had made many claims about development projects but had little to show for them. He also questioned the province’s healthcare facilities, the arrangements for medicines and treatment, and the steps taken to eliminate corruption.
He further raised doubts about the transparency of public funds and how resources were used during the PTI’s tenure. In the same address, he highlighted the sacrifices made by KP’s people, police, armed forces and political leaders in the fight against militancy. Pakistan, he added, had suffered enormous human and economic losses in that fight.
Terrorism claims and the case for emergency measures
Shehbaz said terrorism had been completely eliminated from KP in 2017-18 through joint efforts by the nation and state institutions under Nawaz’s leadership. He alleged that terrorists were brought back from Afghanistan and resettled in 2019 and 2020, and said the resurgence had caused significant damage to the country.
He said the government had invited political stakeholders to join the counterterrorism effort, as it had done in the past, but its appeals were not heeded. Defending the governor’s rule and emergency measures, he said the federal government had tried to resolve differences through negotiations. Committees made up of PPP and PML-N representatives had held 48 hours of discussions with the PTI, he said.
According to Shehbaz, the Centre waited for approval of a draft agreed during those talks with the opposition, but the approval never came. The premier said the decision had become necessary to protect the people, the country, the economy and society. “Had a timely decision not been taken, the province could have suffered further damage,” the prime minister said. He reiterated that the PML-N would continue working for KP’s development, prosperity and public welfare.
