PESHAWAR: A letter written by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s Special Committee on Security to the Corps Commander Peshawar, seeking an in-camera briefing on law and order in the province, has sparked a fresh controversy.
Security sources have termed the move irresponsible and unserious, stating that the provincial assembly or the provincial government had no authority to directly request an in-camera or institutional briefing from the military leadership, particularly the corps commander or GHQ. Talking to The News, security sources categorically confirmed that no such letter had so far been received by Corps Headquarters. They said while routine coordination or day-to-day contacts were permitted, an in-camera briefing on law and order in the provincial assembly was by no means a routine matter. It is a sensitive and formal institutional process that requires federal approval.
The sources reiterated that the provincial assembly or the provincial government had no authority to directly approach the military leadership, especially the corps commander or GHQ, for such briefings.
Under the law and established state procedure, any request for an institutional or in-camera briefing must be routed through the federal government. The matter is conveyed to the GHQ via the Ministry of Defence, from where formal instructions are issued to the relevant formation.
According to the sources, ignoring this defined procedure is not merely an administrative lapse but is being viewed as a deviation from the constitutional order and the accepted principles governing civil-military relations.
They said the step taken by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government points to one of two conclusions. Either the government was not genuinely serious about tackling terrorism and the grave law and order situation and was instead attempting to divert attention from its failures through a media stunt, or it was so incompetent that it lacked even the basic understanding of constitutional and administrative requirements of state affairs.
The security official said instead of owning political responsibility for the deteriorating security situation in the province, the PTI government was trying to shape a narrative through symbolic gestures and non-serious letters.
He added that had the government truly been serious about resolving the law and order issue, it would have approached the federation within the constitutional framework and fulfilled all legal requirements.
Earlier, a letter from the Provincial Assembly’s Special Committee surfaced, issued with the signature of the deputy secretary of the provincial assembly. In the letter, the Special Committee requested the corps commander for a briefing on the law and order situation and overall security environment in the province.
According to the contents of the letter, the Special Committee comprises the leader of the house, the leader of the opposition, provincial ministers, and parliamentary leaders, and has already received briefings from the chief secretary, additional chief secretary, and the inspector general of police.
The committee sought a briefing from the corps commander on law and order, ongoing operations by the federal government and law-enforcement agencies, particularly the security situation in the merged districts. The letter also noted that sustainable peace could not be achieved through operations alone and that political and social measures were equally essential.
