Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday briefed coalition partners on KP governor's rule, saying the Centre had tried to avoid an "extreme step". On Sunday the federal government placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the governor and imposed an emergency in 12 districts, citing the provincial government's "deliberate disengagement" from the fight against terrorism.
Governor's rule lets the federation set aside a provincial government and administer the province through the governor. The prime minister called it the "most difficult decision", taken in the interest of the people of KP.
Why Shehbaz says the Centre acted
At a meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leaders led by Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, he said the government had negotiated "with an open heart" but received no positive response. The Prime Minister's Office said they also reviewed the wider political situation. Shehbaz said attacks in KP were hitting ordinary citizens and security forces, and that the PTI government had "failed to openly raise its voice against terrorist groups". He described the PTI long march as a "conspiracy to destroy the country's improving economy".
In a separate meeting with the PML-Q, Balochistan Awami Party, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party and PML-Zia, he said the PTI-led government's conduct, and its failure to take a clear stand against terrorism, risked the growing economy. He said the federation had given KP more than Rs800 billion under the National Finance Commission, the formula that shares federal tax revenue with the provinces, to support the fight against terrorism. He said the province had not strengthened its Counter-Terrorism Department, the unit that pursues militant cases, or set up Safe City projects to improve its capacity.
He told PML-N lawmakers the Centre was "compelled" after Oct 3 talks with the opposition collapsed. A consensus draft was ready and "all demands were settled", he said, but the PTI team asked for time to consult Sohail Afridi, the chief minister whose role now stands non-functional. He said they "were ordered" to "create another May 9" and "must not accept anything". He also recalled speaking to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to reduce tensions, before the Oct 11 cabinet meeting decided, in his words, that "this is the moment to save Pakistan".
Allies back the federal decision
The Prime Minister's Office said the MQM-P team, including Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and MNA Farooq Sattar, pledged full support for the decisions on KP governor's rule. It said the second delegation also backed the Centre and praised the prime minister's leadership in difficult circumstances. People in KP, the delegation said, had remained without adequate health, education and infrastructure development during the PTI's tenure, though federal cooperation could help the province catch up. BAP president Khalid Magsi, former Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and PML-Q president Chaudhry Salik Hussain were present, along with IPP and PML-Zia representatives.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and adviser Rana Sanaullah attended both meetings. The prime minister used those sittings to set out the reasons for the constitutional steps in KP.
Shehbaz told his party that terrorism was spreading and sacrifices were being made, while the PTI spent its resources and time creating instability. People in KP, he said, had wanted schools, universities, hospitals, better law and order and an end to corruption "for the past 13 years", yet there was "not zero, but negative attention", with effort diverted to long marches and protests. He asked whether the Centre should have remained "silent spectators".
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Oct 3: Government-opposition talks collapsed. Shehbaz said a consensus draft was ready before the PTI sought time to consult Sohail Afridi.
- Oct 11: After contact with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the cabinet met and, he said, decided it was time to save Pakistan.
- Sunday: The Centre imposed governor's rule in the province and an emergency in 12 districts.
- Tuesday: Shehbaz briefed MQM-P and other allies, who backed the federal decision, and addressed the PML-N.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Centre ne KP mein governor's rule laga di hai aur 12 zilaon mein emergency bhi hai. Shehbaz Sharif kehte hain ke 3 October ki baat-cheet fail hone ke baad yeh qadam majboori mein uthaya gaya. Unka kehna hai ke soobay ko dehshatgardi ke khilaf Rs800 billion se zyada mil chuke hain, magar zaruri kaam na ho saka. MQM-P aur doosri jamaaton ne is faisle ki himayat kar di hai.
