PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged that the federal government will work with the military leadership to improve the security situation, combat terrorism and address public grievances in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the decision to impose an emergency and Governor’s Rule in the province was taken out of necessity, adding that the Constitution and law provided authority for such a step.
The prime minister chaired a meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Apex Committee, where security, counterterrorism, governance, public services and development issues were discussed.
Addressing the meeting, Shehbaz described Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a province of courageous people and said conditions that developed over the past several years had seriously affected its law and order situation. He said peace had been established in the province by 2018 through the sacrifices of security personnel, women, children and the public.
The prime minister said 80,000 people had lost their lives in the war against terrorism, while the country had suffered billions of dollars in economic losses. He alleged that terrorists had been brought back during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, undermining the peace achieved through earlier sacrifices and contributing to a resurgence in terrorism.
Shehbaz accused the previous provincial government of neglecting education, healthcare, security and public welfare. He said 5,000 police vacancies had not been filled during the previous provincial administration, the Safe City project remained incomplete, and insufficient attention had been paid to the training of police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
Referring to financial allocations, the prime minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had received approximately Rs800 billion under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award since 2010 for counterterrorism measures. He said the provinces had agreed to provide an additional one per cent from the federal and provincial shares to support KP because of its frontline role in the fight against terrorism. He questioned why terrorism had resurfaced despite these resources.
The prime minister said the federal government had worked extensively over the past two and a half years to revive the national economy, adding that efforts by the political and military leadership had helped stabilise it. He said the government could not continue to ignore the deteriorating situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to Shehbaz, he consulted President Asif Ali Zardari twice over the province’s worsening conditions, while a political committee held negotiations for 48 hours in an effort to find a way forward.
The prime minister also raised allegations of corruption in the province. He claimed that corruption worth Rs100 billion had been detected in a clean drinking water project and Rs37 billion in the Kohistan mega scandal. He further alleged that contracts under the Placer Gold project had been awarded to favoured individuals.
Shehbaz said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been waiting for 13 years for their problems to be resolved and basic services to be delivered. He said a consultative council comprising experts from different fields had been established to help address the province’s challenges.
Reaffirming the federal government’s commitment, the prime minister said restoring peace, promoting development, improving public services and addressing the grievances of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would remain priorities. He pledged that the federal government would work alongside the military leadership to improve conditions and bring prosperity to the province.
Shehbaz also thanked coalition partners, President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif for their support regarding the decisions concerning Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
