Shehbaz Peshawar Visit: PM Defends KP Emergency Rule, Criticises PTI

Peshawar – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – The Shehbaz Peshawar visit took place on Thursday, and it was his first trip to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since governor’s rule and an emergency were imposed in the province on October 11.

Speaking at the federal apex committee meeting, the prime minister said both decisions were taken “under extreme compulsion.” The meeting was held to review the security situation in the province.

Field Marshal Asim Munir, who serves as Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, attended the meeting. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, federal ministers and the newly appointed provincial advisers were also present.

The prime minister called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a very beautiful province. He said the government would work day and night to bring development and prosperity to its people.

He also promised that, with the help of the field marshal, happiness would return to the province. He added that KP would get development at par with the other provinces.

Peace in the province, a past achievement

The prime minister said peace had been restored across the country, including KP, by 2017 and 2018. He credited the armed forces, security institutions and civilians for the sacrifices that made it possible.

He said around 80,000 people lost their lives in the war against terrorism. He added that the war also caused economic losses worth billions of dollars.

Sharp criticism of the previous provincial government

Mr Sharif blamed the PTI-led provincial government for the worsening security situation. He claimed it had invited terrorists back after peace was established.

He said the earlier government had ignored education, healthcare and public safety. According to him, 5,000 police posts stayed empty, and the Safe City project was left unfinished.

He also said the Counter-Terrorism Department, police training and modern equipment did not get enough attention.

The prime minister pointed out that more than Rs800 billion had been given to KP under the NFC Award for counterterrorism work. He said the provinces had agreed to this extra support in 2010 because KP was on the frontline. In his view, militancy returned despite the money.

The prime minister also made several corruption claims against the previous provincial government. He alleged that Rs100 billion was misused in a clean drinking water project and that Rs37 billion in corruption surfaced in the Kohistan case.

He further alleged that contracts for the placer gold project were handed to favoured people. These are the prime minister’s claims, and the PTI has not responded in the report available here.

Advisory council and wheat supply

Mr Sharif said the government had formed an advisory council of experts from different fields. Its job is to help solve the problems of the province.

He thanked the allied parties for backing the decision. He especially named President Zardari and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.

The prime minister also expressed sadness over the deaths caused by a school roof collapse. He said the people of KP had faced years of hardship and deserved basic services.

He said he had told the governor and the chief secretary to make sure the province gets all the wheat it needs.

Rs160 billion package for development

In a separate meeting in Peshawar, the prime minister addressed a development council made up of representatives of the tribal districts. There, he announced Rs160 billion for development projects in KP.

He said the federal government stood with the people of the province and would give them full support. He also praised tribal elders for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

The elders told him that development work in the tribal districts had been very small, while terrorism and corruption had grown. The prime minister promised to provide the resources needed to fight terrorism and speed up development work.

Ending his speech, he described KP as the land of Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak. He pledged to bring peace, happiness and progress to its people.