KP CM calls governor’s meeting with senior officials ‘unconstitutional’, seeks legal opinion

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi criticized the governor's summons of the chief secretary and inspector general of police to a security meeting on Wednesday, deeming it "unconstitutional and an assault on democracy." The chief minister's government, formed with a two-thirds majority in the provincial assembly and cabinet, firmly stands, Afridi asserted during a provincial cabinet meeting. He emphasized that the constitutional mechanism for removing him is through a vote of no confidence.

The contentious matter arose following a day when Governor Faisal Karim Kundi convened a security meeting with Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, and other high-ranking officials. Kundi stressed the province's inability to afford complacency amid ongoing terrorism, crime, and law-and-order issues, emphasizing the paramount responsibility of the provincial government to ensure public safety.

Afridi lambasted the federal government's security policy, citing the lack of lasting peace despite thousands of intelligence-driven operations and 80,000 lives lost over 22 years. He proposed a shift in security policy, asserting that if implemented by the provincial government, peace could be established within 100 days. Afridi vowed to bolster the police, Counter Terrorism Department, and Special Branch to enhance the province's security capacity and called for the payment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's outstanding dues and share under the National Finance Commission.

Furthermore, Afridi demanded the full compensation for tribal people displaced due to federal policies and criticized alleged actions against provincial ministers and PTI workers as attempts to provoke the government. Despite these allegations, Afridi pledged that his administration would remain peaceful, adhering strictly to the Constitution and laws, ordering the inspector general and chief secretary not to comply with any order deemed unconstitutional or illegal, and directing an immediate inquiry into the misuse of authority by police officials.