PM Shehbaz, Fazl speak on reducing tensions between federal, KP govts

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday, aiming to ease tensions between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments. The Prime Minister congratulated the JUI-F leader on his Umrah pilgrimage and invited him to discuss matters at the Prime Minister's House. Maulana Fazl accepted the invitation, and the meeting is anticipated to occur soon.

This conversation follows prior interactions between Fazl and opposition figures, but talks between the Centre and the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) failed due to various factors, notably the counterterrorism policy. The opposition party demanded a review of the counterterrorism policy, while the federal government criticized KP's efforts to combat terrorism and objected to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that the KP government had squandered Rs700 billion allocated for development projects, while the PTI accused the province of organizing protests instead of upgrading infrastructure.