Govt was left with ‘no option’ but emergency, governor rule: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government had been left with “no option” but to impose an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid the deteriorating security situation in the province, saying “Pakistan comes first” and nothing was more important than the country’s progress and survival.

The federal government imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in K-P on Sunday under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. The government cited the deteriorating law and order situation and what it called a lack of support from the provincial administration in the fight against terrorism.

Addressing the PML-N’s parliamentary party meeting, the prime minister praised the “brave people” of K-P for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, saying the menace had been eradicated from the province by 2017 but resurfaced after the PTI came to power.

“After that, terrorists had started returning to Swat. They were given a free hand and brought back,” he said.

The prime minister stated that after the PTI formed the government in K-P in 2024, the federal government had made every effort over the past two and a half years to resolve issues through engagement.

The premier said meetings had been held with former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who was assured of the federal government’s full support in the fight against terrorism, further adding that meetings had also been held with non-functional chief minister Sohail Afridi.

“Every day, our people, our armed forces and police personnel are being killed. There are daily sacrifices in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. If this brutality is not completely eliminated, the progress we have made over the past two and a half years will come to a halt,” he said.

PM Shehbaz said the government had made progress over the past two and a half years through a “unique partnership”. However, he added, if a provincial government was bent on dismantling that partnership, a political party was intent on destruction and stood in the way of the country’s journey towards development, action would have to be taken.

Referring to his meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director in New York, the premier said the lender’s chief had praised Pakistan’s recent reforms, describing the country as “a new Pakistan”.

He said delegations from six leading banks had also appreciated the country’s recent progress, although they had expressed reservations over incidents of terrorism in Pakistan.

The prime minister said that while terrorism was spreading and instability was being created, the PTI was devoting all its resources and time to political agitation, including long marches and sit-ins, instead of focusing on development and prosperity.

He added that the people of K-P had been waiting for development projects for 13 years, but the provincial government’s time and resources had been consumed by long marches and sit-ins, further asking how any civilised society could tolerate this.

“What option did we have in these circumstances? Should we have sat back as silent spectators and, after everything had been destroyed, said that this was our fate? No, this is not our fate. God willing, we have to build Pakistan,” the PM said.

Read: Emergency, governor’s rule imposed in K-P after president signs summary on PM Shehbaz’s advice

The prime minister said that after the dialogue process collapsed, the government decided, following deliberations and consultations, to impose an emergency in the province.

Referring to the negotiations, PM Shehbaz said the final draft had been almost ready for signing after all the demands had been met. However, at the last moment, the other side said it wanted to consult the K-P chief minister, he added, adding that “the rest is history”.

The prime minister said that after a two-and-a-half-hour cabinet meeting attended by representatives of all coalition partners, the government decided to impose an emergency and governor’s rule in K-P.

“We decided that this is the moment when we must stop waiting any longer to save Pakistan, otherwise, everything will burn, and we will be left wringing our hands,” he said.

Read More: ‘Govt can’t keep sleeping when it comes to citizens’ security’: DPM Dar on K-P emergency, governor’s rule

The premier said the government had been compelled to decide to impose an emergency because “Pakistan comes first”, adding that nothing was more important than the country’s progress and survival.

The prime minister further stated that an emergency and governor’s rule had now been imposed in K-P and an advisory council comprising experts and professionals had been formed. The council included doctors, educationists and financial experts, he added.

He noted that the people of K-P were proud and hospitable and the decision had been taken solely to restore their happiness, development and dignity.

PM’s meeting with parliamentary delegations

Earlier, the prime minister took delegations of Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Zia) into confidence over the government’s decision to impose emergency and governors’ rule in K-P during a meeting at the prime minister’s office.

PM Shehbaz explained the reasons behind the federal government’s decisions, stating that the conduct of the PTI government in the province and its failure to adopt an unequivocal stance against terrorism had posed risks to Pakistan’s growing economy.

The premier noted that the provincial government had neither clearly condemned terrorism nor taken effective action against terrorist groups. Referring to the sacrifices of security personnel, he said numerous members of the Pakistan armed forces, security forces and police had laid down their lives over the past several years while defending the country.

PM Shehbaz said the federal government had provided more than Rs800 billion to K-P under the National Finance Commission (NFC) arrangements to support efforts against terrorism.

However, he said the provincial government had failed to take effective measures to strengthen the capacity of its Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and establish Safe City projects to improve its counterterrorism capabilities.

During the meeting with a parliamentary delegation, the premier said an impartial technocratic advisory council had been established to assist the governor in improving law and order, strengthening the economy and eliminating terrorism in the province.

The parliamentary delegation expressed its support for the federal government amid the prevailing situation and appreciated the prime minister’s leadership during what it described as difficult circumstances.

The delegation also said the people of K-P had remained deprived of adequate development in health, education and infrastructure during the PTI’s tenure in the province.

It expressed confidence that, with the federal government’s cooperation, development and prosperity in K-P would advance in line with other parts of the country.

MQM-P backs govt decisions on K-P

Separately, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) assured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of its full cooperation with the government’s decisions regarding K-P.

The assurance was given during a meeting between the prime minister and an MQM-P delegation led by party convener and Federal Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

The delegation included Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, Senator Aamir Waliuddin Chishti, Senator Khalida Ateeb and several members of the National Assembly.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the country’s overall political situation, while the prime minister took the delegation into confidence regarding the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PM Shehbaz described the decision to impose emergency and governor’s rule in the province as a difficult one, taken in the best interest of its people. He said the government had made every effort to avoid the step and had engaged in negotiations in good faith, but had not received a positive response from the other side.

He said terrorist attacks in K-P were increasing, targeting civilians and security personnel, while the provincial government had failed to openly raise its voice against terrorist groups.