Governor's rule necessary to prevent further damage to KP: PM Shehbaz

Addressing a gathering of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary party and office-bearers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the prime minister said the decision was taken under difficult circumstances to protect the people, the province and the country's economic and social stability.

Speaking about the political situation in the province, Shehbaz Sharif described Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an important part of Pakistan, praising its people for their courage, dignity and sacrifices. He said PML-N had played a significant role in promoting democratic traditions in the province.

Following the 2013 general elections, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had allowed the majority party to form the provincial government, demonstrating his commitment to democratic principles. The prime minister questioned the performance of the party that had governed the province for the past 13 years, asking how many universities and hospitals had been established during that period.

He alleged that political slogans and divisions had received greater attention than public service. He said communities from Peshawar to Kohistan, Hazara and the southern districts continued to face unresolved public issues.

Highlighting the sacrifices made in the fight against terrorism, Shehbaz Sharif said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with the police, armed forces and political leadership, had suffered significant human and economic losses. He recalled the Army Public School tragedy in Peshawar, describing the killing of innocent children as one of the most painful incidents in the country's history.

The prime minister said Pakistan had previously overcome terrorism through collective efforts under Nawaz Sharif's leadership. However, he alleged that the return and resettlement of terrorists from Afghanistan in 2019 and 2020 contributed to the resurgence of terrorism.

He said the government had called for joint efforts to counter the renewed security threat but its proposals had not received the desired response. Shehbaz Sharif also questioned the utilisation of financial resources allocated to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

He said an additional one per cent share had been agreed for the province under the 2010 NFC Award and that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had received Rs800 billion under the arrangement. The prime minister questioned how many Safe City projects had been established using these resources and whether the provincial Counter Terrorism Department had been adequately strengthened.

He also pointed out that around 5,000 police vacancies remained unfilled, arguing that available resources should have been used to equip police personnel with modern weapons and provide them with better training. Referring to national political developments, Shehbaz Sharif said protests and sit-ins over the past two and a half years had affected the country's political and economic environment.

He recalled that the 2014 sit-in had led to the postponement of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Pakistan, while important agreements were signed during his eventual visit in 2015. The prime minister also credited Nawaz Sharif's efforts with ending prolonged electricity outages that had reached 20 hours a day.

Discussing economic challenges, Shehbaz Sharif said the country's political and military leadership had worked together to stabilise the economy. He acknowledged that international developments and the Gulf conflict had triggered an exceptional increase in energy prices, adding that the government had introduced a fuel subsidy programme to provide relief to the public.

The preier said around 13 million people had benefited from the initiative, for which the government had allocated Rs75 billion. He said providing relief to low-income citizens remained a key government priority. Explaining the decision to impose governor's rule and emergency measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shehbaz Sharif said efforts had been made to resolve differences through negotiations.

He said committees representing the Pakistan Peoples Party and PML-N had held discussions for 48 hours. However, despite the negotiations, approval of the agreed draft remained pending. The prime minister maintained that the government had to make a decision to safeguard the public, the country, the economy and society.