ISLAMABAD/ PESHAWAR: Minister of State for Law Aqeel Malik said on Sunday that the federal government was “seriously pondering” over imposing the governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), citing poor governance, terrorism and border situation with Afghanistan.
“The situation in KP is evident to everyone, given the cross-border terrorism and governance issues,” he said while speaking on Geo News’ programme “Naya Pakistan”.
Malik said the federal government was evaluating the move in light of security and safety concerns, as well as national security priorities.
Criticising the provincial leadership, he said that KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his team “badly failed” in ensuring effective governance and having a “workable situation” with the federation. “They do not maintain coordination or cohesion with the federation,” he added.
The state minister cautioned that the province appeared to be moving towards governor’s rule, emphasising that such a measure was not unprecedented in Pakistan’s history.
Malik said the governor’s rule is imposed only in “cases of urgent necessity”, adding that the current situation in KP “warranted such a step”.
“The situation calls for a measure to ensure an administrative structure that can deliver benefits to its people,” he added. The minister said that the federal government could not leave the people of the province helpless.
On the procedure for imposing governor’s rule, he said the president can take such a measure without waiting for advice from the provincial governor. He added that the Constitution allows the governor’s rule for an initial period of two months, which can be extended further if needed.
Malik noted that the federal government was considering the move in the light of security situation, especially at the western border with Afghanistan.
KP Information Secretary Shafiq Jan, however, warned of a strong reaction to such an attempt by the Centre in the province. Speaking exclusively to Geo News, he said that changing the governor was a discretionary authority of the federal government. “If they want to impose governor’s rule, they can do it today,” he added.
Jan dismissed the allegations made by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who earlier in the day accused the KP government of protecting “drug cartels”.
“Prove that any of our political leaders have colluded with terrorists,” he asked the federal government.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, while speaking about governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said the provincial government had failed to curb non-custom-paid vehicles, illegal mining and drug trafficking. He accused the KP government of protecting “drug cartels” and claimed that billions in potential tax revenue were being lost. “The pockets of those in power in KP are being filled,” he said, adding that the tobacco sector could generate significant revenue if taxed properly.
Tarar also linked the issue to criminal networks and political influence. “One reason is the political-terror-crime nexus,” he added.
He said the security forces responded strongly to recent cross-border attacks, stating: “When there was infiltration from Afghanistan, our army gave a full response.”
The minister maintained the federal government was improving the economy, saying inflation has decreased and foreign exchange reserves have increased. He said exporters are no longer facing the past difficulties and insisted PTI leaders “know nothing about economic policy”.
Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Sunday announced that all Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians would stage a peaceful protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday, followed by a march to Adiala jail on Thursday to express solidarity with party founder Imran Khan’s sisters.
Speaking at a press conference here, he said that neither Imran’s sisters nor the party leadership, lawyers and doctors had been allowed to meet him for almost a month, claiming that the PTI founder was being kept in solitary confinement.
He said Imran’s sisters had visited Adiala jail two days ago after deeply disturbing media reports about his health and pleaded with authorities for “just two minutes” to verify his condition but were refused. Afridi said the PTI leadership waited outside the jail the entire night yet received no explanation.
The chief minister said that the following morning, the delegation visited the IHC to inform the chief justice but did not receive any positive response.
He said Tuesday’s gathering of PTI MNAs, MPAs and senators outside the IHC would call for early hearings of the cases of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, whom he alleged were being unjustly targeted. The group would then proceed to Adiala jail to stand with Imran Khan’s sisters.
The chief minister added that while the PTI leadership would protest at the IHC on Tuesday and outside the Adiala jail on Thursday, party workers from Swabi would stage a peaceful demonstration at the Swabi Motorway Toll Plaza.
Turning to the financial crisis facing KP, he said PTI parliamentarians had approved full participation in the December 4 National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting because the province had been deprived of its rightful share since the 2018 merger of the erstwhile FATA.
He accused the federal government of denying the province its constitutional fiscal rights under the NFC for over seven years and of keeping Imran Khan in solitary confinement since November 4. Though the merger had been executed administratively, he said, its financial integration “remains incomplete even after seven years,” effectively reducing KP to “half a province” in the distribution formula.
Sohail Afridi said that from 2018 to 2025, “approximately Rs1,350 billion that constitutionally belongs to KP has been distributed among other provinces,” while unpaid Net Hydel Profit (NHP) dues and the unfulfilled three per cent divisible pool share for the merged districts pushed the province’s total denied rights to nearly Rs3,000 billion.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will participate and forcefully fight for its share at the December 4 NFC meeting. The federal government owes Rs1,350 billion to KP under the formula, but this huge amount has been diverted elsewhere, while the province’s total denied dues have reached nearly Rs3,000 billion,” he explained. He announced that universities across KP would hold seminars on NFC issues starting Monday, alongside youth-focused sessions, to help the young people understand the “discriminatory treatment” being meted out to their province.
The chief minister said he had asked KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati to take parliamentary leaders of all political parties on board to adopt a unified stance because it was the constitutional right of the people of KP. He urged journalists, teachers, doctors, religious leaders and civil society to raise their voice because “this is the right of every citizen of KP.”
Afridi said PTI’s political struggle would remain peaceful and constitutional. “They want us to walk into a confrontation, but we will not,” he said, adding that the party organisation would lead the protest strategy and he “as a worker,” would fully support it.
He lamented that since his nomination, a negative narrative had been used to provoke him into confrontation, alleging that the PTI had continuously been pushed to the wall and its peaceful protesters fired upon, martyred and injured when they exercised their constitutional rights.
Responding to a question about the law and order situation in KP, he said the province’s proposal submitted to the federal government aimed at restoring and sustaining peace.
He said “closed-door decisions imposed on the province” in the past had inflicted deep harm and that terrorism resurged after 2018 because lasting peace was never ensured.
Afridi said the provincial government had a solution to the security challenge and was ready to share it with Islamabad. However, he declined to disclose the details when asked about specifics of the plan.
On allegations pertaining to land in Tirah, Sohail Afridi said he owned no property other than his ancestral land and dismissed rumours linking him to narcotics as an attempt to mislead the public and distract from real issues.
Meanwhile, amid reports of a likely change at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor house, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed ignorance about any such development. “I don’t know anything about it,” Kundi said when asked about the names reportedly being considered as his replacement.
When told that the reports were widely shared on social media, he remarked, “Whether the media is responsible for appointing a new governor.” He, however, added that he would accept any decision made by the party.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi welcomed Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s decision to attend the NFC meeting on December 4, terming it a positive step towards securing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fair share of national resources.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Kundi however said that at the same time, the people of KP expect their chief minister to devote his primary energies to governance, public service delivery and addressing their pressing problems on the ground. “Our constitutional framework does not permit a prolonged vacuum in effective governance at the provincial level, therefore I sincerely hope that, alongside his engagement at the federal forum, the Chief Minister will now demonstrate a stronger and sustained focus on the day-to-day affairs and welfare of the province,” he added.
