Governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were unavoidable, says Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that terrorists were brought back from Afghanistan and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2019 and 2020. Given the unavoidable circumstances, governor’s rule and an emergency were imposed in the province. He said that without them, the province could have suffered more damage.

He was addressing the parliamentary party and office-bearers of PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shehbaz Sharif said he was speaking both as the Prime Minister of Pakistan and as a worker of party leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a beautiful province of the country and its people are proud, brave and dignified. According to him, PML-N played an important role in promoting democratic traditions in the province. After the 2013 elections, leader Nawaz Sharif allowed the majority party in the province to form its government. His democratic thinking and generosity, he said, gave democracy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa room to move forward.

Terrorism and political claims

Shehbaz Sharif said that the party in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 13 years had made grand claims. But how many universities and hospitals were built in the province in the past 13 years? Attention was paid to political slogans and to division after division instead of public service. He added that public problems were neglected from Peshawar to Kohistan, Hazara and the southern Districts.

He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa made great sacrifices in ending Terrorism in the country. The people, police, army and political leaders made unmatched sacrifices in the fight against Terrorism. Pakistan suffered heavy human and economic losses in the war on Terrorism.

The Prime Minister said that during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure the whole nation and the institutions together ended Terrorism. The extremely painful incident of the APS Peshawar attack is still fresh in people’s minds. The tragedy of the martyrdom of young children will remain a sorrowful example in history. The sacrifices of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cannot be forgotten.

He said that in the past two and a half years the country saw the Politics of long marches and sit-ins. The 2014 sit-in delayed the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan, while in 2015, during President Xi Jinping’s time, important agreements were signed in Pakistan. The end of 20-hour load shedding in the country was the result of Nawaz Sharif’s round-the-clock effort.

The Prime Minister said that in 2019 and 2020 terrorists were brought back from Afghanistan and settled, after which Terrorism resurfaced and caused the country great harm. He invited all to fight Terrorism together as in the past, but said, “our words were not heard”.

Economy and background to governor’s rule

Shehbaz Sharif said that under the 2010 NFC Award it was agreed to allocate an additional 1 per cent of resources to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under the NFC Award, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has so far received Rs800 billion. He asked how many safe city projects were set up with this Rs800 billion, and how much the counter-terrorism department was strengthened.

He said 5,000 vacant police posts in the province were not filled, while the available resources should have been spent on providing the police with modern weapons and training.

According to him, the military and political leadership worked together round the clock to stabilise the economy. Global conditions and the Gulf war caused an extraordinary rise in energy prices. Despite difficulties, the government launched a fuel subsidy scheme for public relief, which has benefited 13 million people. Rs75 billion has been allocated to provide relief to the people.

The Prime Minister said efforts were made to resolve matters through talks. A committee of the PPP and PML-N held talks for 48 hours. Approval of the agreed draft was awaited, but it was not given.

He made it clear that a decision had to be taken to save the people, the country, the economy and society. Had a timely decision not been made, the province could have suffered more damage. He said PML-N would continue its efforts for the province’s progress, prosperity and public service.