Chairs meeting of apex committee on National Action Plan at Governor House in Peshawar, according to PMO
PM Shehbaz chairs meeting of apex committee on National Action Plan at Governor House in Peshawar. Photo: Screengrab
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday defended the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), saying the measures had been necessitated by the deteriorating security situation, and vowed to restore peace, prosperity and development in the province.
Addressing a meeting of the apex committee on the National Action Plan at Governor House in Peshawar, the prime minister said the government had been compelled to take difficult decisions and pledged to work with the military leadership to address the province’s security and development challenges.
PM Shehbaz said a political committee had been formed to negotiate a solution and that its members had worked for 48 hours. He also disclosed that he had consulted President Asif Ali Zardari twice before the government decided to impose emergency and governor’s rule.
Defending the decision, he maintained that the Constitution and law empowered the government to take the measures implemented in K-P. He thanked the coalition partners for supporting the move, particularly President Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif.
The prime minister also announced that an advisory council comprising competent and honest individuals from different professional backgrounds had been established. He expressed confidence that collective efforts would improve security and living conditions in the province.
Turning to the resurgence of terrorism, PM Shehbaz said developments over the past six years had severely undermined peace and law and order in K-P. He recalled that Pakistan’s armed forces and security institutions had made immense sacrifices to eliminate terrorism from the province and other parts of the country.
He said peace had been restored across K-P by 2018 through the sacrifices of security personnel and civilians, adding that around 80,000 people had lost their lives in the fight against terrorism and the country had suffered losses worth billions of dollars.
The prime minister acknowledged the sacrifices of political families in K-P, saying many had been devastated by terrorism. He said thousands of security personnel had laid down their lives to secure the future of the country’s children and that failing to recognise those sacrifices was unacceptable.
However, he accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of bringing terrorists back during its tenure, reversing the gains achieved through years of sacrifices. He said the people of K-P had suffered the consequences of those decisions.
PM Shehbaz criticised the previous provincial administration for neglecting education, healthcare, security and other public welfare sectors, describing the neglect as criminal negligence and insensitivity that had contributed to the resurgence of terrorism.
He claimed that 5,000 vacant police posts had remained unfilled during the previous provincial government’s tenure and that the Safe City project in K-P was still incomplete. He also criticised the lack of attention given to training and equipping the police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
Referring to the 2010 National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, the prime minister said all provinces had agreed to support K-P in its fight against terrorism, recognising it as a frontline province. Under the arrangement, he said, an additional one per cent from federal and provincial shares had been allocated to support counterterrorism efforts.
According to PM Shehbaz, K-P had received Rs800 billion under the NFC Award for counterterrorism since 2010. He expressed regret that terrorism had resurfaced despite the allocation of substantial resources.
He said provincial security forces had not been provided with adequate training, modern weapons or other necessary equipment, adding that the federal government had repeatedly assured PTI-led provincial administrations of its support in combating terrorism.
The prime minister also referred to the country’s economic recovery, saying the government had worked tirelessly over the past two-and-a-half years to restore economic stability. He credited cooperation between the political and military leadership for the progress, adding that even people outside Pakistan had acknowledged the recovery.
PM Shehbaz questioned whether the federal government could continue to watch K-P suffer from terrorism and bloodshed. He said the people of the province had waited 13 years for their problems to be addressed and wanted basic facilities available at their doorsteps.
He also accused PTI of failing to fulfil its anti-corruption promises, alleging that the party had become involved in corruption despite seeking votes on a platform of accountability.
Citing cases in K-P, the prime minister referred to alleged corruption worth Rs100 billion in a clean drinking water project and Rs37 billion in the Kohistan mega scandal. He also alleged that contracts for the placer gold project had been awarded to favoured individuals.
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of a teacher and children in the collapse of a school roof in Peshawar. He said he had directed K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to visit the site immediately and ensure a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
Describing K-P as a beautiful province inhabited by brave and resilient people, the prime minister referred to its cultural and literary heritage as the land of Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak. He recalled that the province had voted overwhelmingly to join Pakistan at the time of independence.
He said K-P was now grappling with terrorism, a lack of basic public facilities and widespread deprivation. He pledged that the federal government would work alongside the military leadership to address these challenges and restore peace, prosperity and development.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, K-P Governor Kundi, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Other participants included Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari and Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah.
Senior military leaders and high-ranking officials from relevant institutions also attended the meeting, according to the PMO.
Earlier this month, the first provincial apex committee meeting following the imposition of governor’s rule was held at Governor House on October 12, co-chaired by Governor Kundi and Interior Minister Naqvi.
Naqvi said the federal government had made repeated attempts to obtain the provincial government’s cooperation before resorting to the constitutional measures. PM Shehbaz also said the government had been left with no alternative after negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
The meeting reviewed the security situation and counter-terrorism measures, with participants agreeing to strengthen the police and counter-terrorism department through additional equipment, vehicles, weapons, and manpower.
The forum also called for coordinated action by relevant institutions to restore peace and improve law and order.
Governor’s rule imposed in K-P
On October 11, President Asif Ali Zardari approved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice to impose an emergency and governor’s rule in the province under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, citing a deterioration in the security situation, an increase in terrorist attacks, and what it described as the provincial administration’s failure to cooperate effectively in counter-terrorism efforts.
Under the new arrangement, executive powers were transferred to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, assisted by an advisory council, while emergency measures were imposed in 12 districts. The PTI rejected the federal government’s position and opposed the move.
The decision followed weeks of tensions between the Centre and the PTI-led provincial administration, alongside negotiations aimed at securing agreement on a joint strategy against terrorism.
The measures resulted in the removal of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his cabinet from office, with executive authority transferred to the governor.
The decision followed weeks of escalating confrontation over counterterrorism policy, the PTI’s planned long march to Islamabad and the province’s deteriorating security situation. The federal government had repeatedly warned that governor’s rule or an emergency could be imposed, accusing the provincial administration of failing to cooperate adequately with the Centre on counterterrorism.
Read: Emergency, governor’s rule imposed in K-P after president signs summary on PM Shehbaz’s advice
The PTI rejected the allegations, arguing that K-P was itself bearing the brunt of terrorism and accusing the federal government of using security concerns to undermine its elected government.
On September 21, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government was consulting the Law Ministry on legal options, including governor’s rule, if the PTI proceeded with its march.
The provincial government rejected the allegations. Afridi warned that any attempt to remove the elected provincial government would prompt a strong public response.
The dispute unfolded against a worsening security backdrop. According to security reports presented to the federal cabinet, terrorist incidents in K-P increased by 195 per cent between March 1, 2024, and September 23, 2026.
The reports said 73 per cent of terrorist attacks recorded in the province during 2026 had targeted police and security personnel. The federal government cited the figures as evidence of the scale of the security challenge and the need for a stronger response.
Federal and provincial representatives held negotiations on October 2 and 3 in an attempt to resolve their differences before the march, but the talks failed to produce an agreement.
The announcement of governor’s rule was followed by arrests and detentions of PTI leaders and workers as the march was disrupted. Police arrested dozens of party workers, including 59 in Swabi and six in Khyber district, as security was tightened and mobile phone and internet services were suspended in Swabi.
On October 12, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry confirmed that Afridi and some members of his cabinet had been taken into preventive custody. Police officials also said eight senior PTI leaders had been taken into protective custody, including Afridi, Junaid Akbar and K-P Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati.
Opposition condemns imposition
The PTI condemned the federal intervention, describing governor’s rule and the emergency as an attack on provincial autonomy and the party’s electoral mandate. Its leaders argued that the measures would not resolve the security crisis and accused the federal government of using terrorism as a pretext to remove an elected administration.
On October 17, opposition leaders, including National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, pledged a joint struggle against governor’s rule and the emergency, demanding constitutional supremacy, parliamentary sovereignty and free and fair elections.
Achakzai said an all-parties conference would be convened and that the option of resigning from the assemblies remained open, although the opposition favoured a peaceful and constitutional struggle.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman criticised the decision, accusing the federal government of backtracking on commitments made during negotiations.
The PTI subsequently challenged the decision in the Peshawar High Court (PHC). On October 14, Gohar filed a petition contesting the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule and seeking restoration of the elected provincial government. The petition argued that the measures were unconstitutional and that the federal government had failed to meet the legal requirements for invoking Articles 232 and 234.
