PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has defended the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the decision was necessary under extraordinary circumstances and helped prevent further damage to the province.
Addressing a parliamentary party meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the prime minister said the government had to take timely action in the larger interests of the province, its people and the country.
He maintained that delaying the decision could have resulted in further losses and worsened the situation.
Describing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as one of Pakistan’s most beautiful provinces, Shehbaz said its people were courageous, dignified and determined. He added that the PML-N had always played an important role in promoting democratic traditions in the province.
Recalling the 2013 general elections, the prime minister said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had allowed the majority party to form the provincial government, demonstrating his commitment to democratic principles and political tolerance.
However, Shehbaz criticised the performance of the party that had governed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the past 13 years. He questioned how many universities and hospitals had been established during this period and said several areas, including Peshawar, Kohistan, Hazara and the southern districts, continued to face serious problems because of a lack of attention.
The prime minister said the federal government had made several attempts to resolve political differences through negotiations before deciding to impose governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He revealed that negotiation committees comprising representatives of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PML-N had held discussions for 48 hours.
According to Shehbaz, the government continued waiting for approval of the draft agreed upon during the negotiations. However, the required approval was not received, leaving the authorities with no option but to make a decision.
He said protecting the public, the country, the economy and society required timely action. The government believed that further delays could have caused greater damage to the province.
Shehbaz assured that the PML-N would continue its efforts to promote development, prosperity and public welfare in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Discussing the security situation, the prime minister alleged that terrorists had been brought back from Afghanistan and resettled in Pakistan during 2019 and 2020.
He said the resurgence of terrorism had caused significant damage to the country.
Shehbaz added that the government had invited political forces to join hands against terrorism, as they had done in the past, but its appeal had not received the desired response.
He stressed the need for collective efforts to tackle security challenges and protect the country from further violence.
The prime minister also discussed the country’s economic situation, saying the political and military leadership had worked tirelessly to stabilise the economy.
He acknowledged that international developments and the Gulf war had triggered an extraordinary increase in energy prices, creating additional financial challenges for Pakistan.
Despite these difficulties, he said the government had introduced a fuel subsidy scheme to provide relief to the public.
According to Shehbaz, around 13 million people had already benefited from the initiative, while the government had allocated Rs75 billion to support the programme.
He said providing relief to low-income households remained a major government priority.
The prime minister added that the government was taking all possible measures to protect the national economy from instability and reduce the financial burden on ordinary citizens.
