PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had become necessary under “extreme compulsion”.
He made the remarks while addressing a meeting of the federal apex committee in Peshawar to review the province’s security situation. The prime minister arrived in the provincial capital earlier in the day for his first visit since governor’s rule and the emergency were imposed on October 11.
Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, federal ministers and newly appointed provincial advisers attended the meeting.
Addressing the participants, Shehbaz Sharif described KP as a beautiful province and expressed hope that the government would accelerate its development.
“I hope we work hard day and night and speedily make progress towards development and prosperity,” he said.
Shehbaz Criticises Previous KP Government Over Security
The prime minister criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the province’s deteriorating security situation. He said KP had become a “cradle of peace” six years ago.
“I promise that, with the cooperation of the field marshal, we will bring back happiness to this province,” he said. He also pledged development for KP on a par with other provinces.
Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan had restored peace across the country, including KP, by 2017 and 2018 through sacrifices made by the armed forces, security institutions and civilians.
He said around 80,000 people had been martyred in the war against terrorism, which had also caused billions of dollars in economic losses.
The prime minister accused the previous PTI-led provincial government of allowing terrorists to return after peace had been established. He said its policies had undermined the sacrifices made to eliminate militancy.
He added that the people of KP had paid a heavy price for terrorism. Several political families had also suffered losses during the fight against militancy.
The prime minister further alleged that the previous provincial government had neglected education, healthcare and public safety.
According to Shehbaz, around 5,000 police vacancies remained unfilled during its tenure, while the Safe City project remained incomplete. He also criticised the lack of attention given to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), police training and modern weapons and equipment for security personnel.
Over Rs800 Billion Provided to KP Under NFC Award
Shehbaz Sharif said the federal government had provided more than Rs800 billion to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award to support counterterrorism efforts.
He recalled that the provinces had agreed under the 2010 NFC Award to provide additional resources to KP because of its frontline role in the fight against terrorism.
However, he expressed regret that militancy had resurged despite the funding.
The prime minister also levelled corruption allegations against the previous provincial government. He claimed that Rs100 billion had been embezzled from a clean drinking water project, while investigators had uncovered corruption worth Rs37 billion in the Kohistan mega scandal.
He further alleged that officials had awarded contracts under the placer gold project to favoured individuals.
Advisory Council Formed to Address KP’s Issues
The prime minister said the government had established an advisory council comprising experts from different fields to help address the province’s challenges.
He thanked allied parties for supporting the decision, particularly President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif.
Shehbaz pledged that the federal government would work with the military leadership to improve security and provide basic facilities to the people of KP.
He also expressed grief over deaths caused by a school roof collapse, saying the province’s people had endured years of deprivation and deserved access to essential services.
Describing KP as the land of Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak, the prime minister vowed to restore peace, happiness and development. He said the government would work to turn the people’s aspirations for prosperity into reality.
