Peshawar: Political tensions between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments have sharpened over warnings of possible governor’s rule, unfolding against a security crisis that continues to claim the lives of police, security personnel and civilians across the province.
Provincial Information Minister Shafiullah Jan warned that imposing governor’s rule would draw a strong public response while calling terrorism a national rather than provincial challenge.
“Terrorism is a national issue, so a joint strategy is required for its elimination,” Jan said. He argued that if deteriorating law and order was being cited as justification for governor’s rule in KP, the security situation in Balochistan should also be examined.
Jan said the provincial government was prepared to work with all stakeholders on a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy and maintained that strengthening the police remained a priority.
According to him, the police budget has risen to Rs191 billion, while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has allocated a Rs35 billion package for the police and Counter Terrorism Department.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Tariq Saeed Marwat has similarly stressed institutional coordination. Speaking recently on countering violent extremism, Marwat said law enforcement agencies could not tackle extremism alone and called for cooperation among the government, state institutions, civil society and the public.
Afridi has meanwhile challenged the existing counterterrorism approach, arguing that decisions affecting KP must include provincial stakeholders.
“Our proposed new policy can bring peace to KP within 100 days if implemented, but no one is willing to listen,” Afridi said while chairing a meeting on law and order. He further said that “peace cannot be established without taking the people of KP into confidence.”
The federal government presents a sharply different assessment.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry has accused the PTI led provincial government of failing to provide sufficient leadership and resources for counterterrorism.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said governor’s rule or an emergency could be imposed if constitutional conditions requiring such action arose.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has also warned that the province faces a serious security situation and urged the provincial government to postpone its planned October 4 march on Islamabad and focus on combating terrorism.
The confrontation comes as KP continues to experience deadly attacks. A recent gun and bomb attack on a police and customs checkpost in Darazinda, Dera Ismail Khan, killed at least 12 people, while rescue workers responding to the attack were also targeted.
The dispute has therefore developed beyond the question of governor’s rule, exposing a broader disagreement between Islamabad and Peshawar over responsibility, resources and the direction of counterterrorism policy as violence continues across the province.
