Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday co-chaired a meeting of the provincial apex committee, a day after the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in the province.
Addressing the meeting, Kundi — who is now in charge of running the province — asserted that under the new set-up, tackling terrorism would be the priority.
“We can sacrifice our development, but never security,” Kundi vowed as he noted the “lack of synergy” in counterterrorism efforts in the province.
“Now it will show that there is (synergy),” he said, adding that the administration will “fulfil the demands of the Counter-Terrorism Department and police”. He stressed that the administration will “work 24/7” as the federal government and the “people had put their faith in us”.
“We have to show the difference,” he said, adding that there was no time for holidays or weekends. He stressed that the administration was moving towards “result-oriented” actions, rather than cosmetic measures.
Noting the scourge of terrorism in the province, Kundi said that the “people have no freedom to live, travel and do other things” in districts such as Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Waziristan.
He called for working towards restoring freedom of movement for people in terrorism-affected districts.
“People from our province also want peace, prosperity and development,” he said. Kundi expressed the hope that the new administration be remembered well.
“It should be written in history that these people came and restored peace in the province,” he said. The governor added that he will hold apex committee meetings regularly.
Co-chairing the meeting alongside Kundi, Naqvi remarked: “Today is the first time I can proudly say that the federal and the provincial governments are on the same page.
“In the past 2.5 years, we have seen many ups and downs,” Naqvi said. The minister stated that the most difficult work was that the war against terrorism was being fought with “no backend support”.
Criticising the PTI-led government, he said: “It was the [provincial] government’s job to lead the war against terrorism, but they did not do it. They kept bowing their heads only because they did not want to compromise.
“But any war, no matter how many resources you have, cannot be won until the government leads it,” he stressed.
“Not once, not twice; we requested them to work with us dozens of times,“ Naqvi emphasised.
“One thing I will ask you to note is that this is the same force, these are the same people, but the only difference you will see is that … the same people will show you results.”
He further said: “It’s not like things will change in a day; there will be difficult times. But all of us, including the governor, police, administration, and the federal government.
“We have to face and defeat them together. Our intentions are pure; God will help us produce results.“
According to an official handout, the forums directed relevant institutions to ensure “coordinated, effective and decisive” steps for eradicating terrorism and establishing sustainable peace.
“The forum made it clear that intelligence-based operations against terrorist activities would continue and all available resources would be utilised to improve the law and order situation,” it said, adding that the need to improve the operational capability of police and Counter Terrorism Department was also stressed.
The body decided to provide these departments with modern equipment, necessary vehicles, effective weapons, required personnel and all other necessary resources.
It was also agreed during the meeting that the resolution of problems being faced by the people, provision of basic facilities and service delivery at people doorstep would be ensured, the handout said.
For this purpose, suggestions from the public, their needs and priorities of the local population would be considered during policymaking, it added.
A day earlier, Kundi addressed the first meeting of the KP Advisory Council — formed by the federal government after the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule — where he outlined similar directions.
“We have to fast-track things. There will be zero tolerance for corruption. Things should be done in a timely manner,” he said, adding that they would have to demonstrate a clear difference from the work done by their predecessors.
Kundi also stressed that the first order of business was the law and order situation, adding that there should be no hesitation in taking inspiration from other provinces.
Sunday’s directives came after a meeting of the federal cabinet deliberated on the security situation in PTI-led KP. During the meeting, the cabinet noted the provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism”.
Subsequently, the federal government imposed emergency under Article 232 and the governor’s rule under Article 234.
Soon after, it also authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in the province. On the ground, shipping containers were placed around the city of Peshawar to block several roads, with heavy police deployment.
Meanwhile, federal ministers alleged that the PTI-led government in KP had a “nexus” with terrorist groups, as the Centre sought to explain that the province’s security situation necessitated the imposition of emergency there.
The Centre and the PTI have been at odds over various issues, particularly on the counterterrorism policy, which was one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their October 3 talks.
The PTI has said it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP, which the Centre has denied. It also calls for reviewing the counterterrorism policy and opposes military operations.
On the other hand, the Centre has been criticising the KP government’s efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objects to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.
61 law officers removed; 27 new appointed
Following the proclamation of emergency in KP, the provincial law department de-notified 61 law officers of the advocate general’s office.
These included 26 additional advocates general (AGs), 31 assistant AGs and four advocates-on-record (AORs), according to a notification issued late on Sunday.
Another notification, dated Oct 11, was issued to appoint 27 new law officers, including 12 additional AGs, 13 assistant AGs and two AORs.
Out of these, six additional AGs, eight assistant AGs, and one AOR were stationed in Peshawar, along with an assistant AG in the Peshawar Service Tribunal.
One additional AG and one assistant AG were each stationed in Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Swat and Abbottabad. Two additional AGs and an AOR were placed in Islamabad to represent KP.
The government had already de-notified then-AG Shah Faisal Uthmankhel and replaced him with a senior lawyer, Sanaullah, who was earlier serving as an additional AG representing the federal government.
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