‘Very little, if anything, done for KP’: PM Shehbaz rails against PTI’s governance in province

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has criticized the PTI's governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), questioning if the funds meant for the province's welfare were used transparently. This criticism came during a PML-N parliamentary party meeting in Islamabad. The federal government imposed governor's rule and emergency in KP on October 11th, citing the provincial government's "deliberate disengagement" from fighting terrorism.

The move drew criticism from opposition parties and Fazl, who had previously tried to reduce tensions between the federal and KP governments.

Shehbaz lashed out at the PTI, saying they have been in power for 13 years, during which they made numerous promises to build dams, generate solar power, and establish hospitals, universities, and schools. He questioned whether these promises were fulfilled, pointing out the lack of progress in university establishments, healthcare improvements, and overall public welfare. He also raised concerns about corruption and transparency in fund utilization across KP.

The prime minister stated that terrorist activities in the province had significantly decreased by 2017-18, but that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had suffered heavily due to the conflict, with around 80,000 lives lost and an estimated economic loss of Rs15,000 billion. He praised former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's anti-terrorism policies following the 2014 Army Public School tragedy. Shehbaz criticized the PTI for allowing terrorists to settle in Swat, which he said caused the resurgence of terrorism.

The premier also highlighted the allocation of billions of rupees to KP under the National Finance Commission arrangement to combat terrorism, asking about the progress made in Safe City projects and Counter-Terrorism Department strengthening. He emphasized that even if the PTI-led KP government had spent Rs80 billion on law enforcement, it would have been better equipped to handle security challenges.

However, the federal government had managed to revive the national economy but acknowledged that the recovery process would be long.

Despite forming a committee with PPP and PML-N members to hold talks with the PTI, Shehbaz admitted that the federal government was now considering imposing an emergency and governor's rule in KP, as other options had been exhausted. He urged PML-N lawmakers from KP to focus on short-term welfare projects to help ease people's suffering within six months to a year. Less than a week after the emergency imposition, parliament approved the federal government's move amid strong opposition protests.