Shehbaz Sharif calls for short-term development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Addressing a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary party meeting in KP on Saturday, the prime minister said the government should focus on improving law and order, building schools and ensuring the availability of medicines in hospitals.

“If you take small steps to improve law and order, build a school, and ensure medicines reach hospitals, people who have been deprived for 13 years will pray for you,” he said.

He also called for suspending long-term projects to prioritise measures that could deliver immediate benefits to the public.

Shehbaz Sharif criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), founded by former prime minister Imran Khan, which has governed the province for more than a decade. He questioned the party’s development record, asking what it had achieved beyond political slogans and speeches.

The prime minister also raised questions about healthcare facilities, the availability of medicines, corruption and the transparency of public spending during the PTI's tenure.

The meeting comes as KP remains under governor's rule, imposed by the federal government on October 11. The Centre cited alleged shortcomings in the provincial government's counterterrorism efforts as one of the reasons for the decision.

Under the arrangement, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, performs the functions of the provincial government on behalf of the federation with the assistance of an 11-member advisory council. Parliament exercises the legislative powers of the provincial assembly.

Shehbaz Sharif also said the PML-N had supported democratic traditions in the province. Referring to the 2013 general elections, he recalled that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had allowed the majority party to form the provincial government.

Security situation

The prime minister highlighted the sacrifices made by the people of KP, police personnel, armed forces and political leaders in the fight against terrorism.

He said Pakistan had suffered significant human and economic losses because of militancy.

According to Shehbaz Sharif, terrorism had been eliminated from KP during 2017-18 through collective efforts by the public and state institutions under Nawaz Sharif's leadership.

He alleged that militants had been brought back from Afghanistan and resettled in Pakistan in 2019 and 2020, contributing to the resurgence of terrorism.

The prime minister said the government had invited political stakeholders to work together against militancy, but its appeals had not received the expected response.

Shehbaz defends governor's rule

Defending the imposition of governor's rule and emergency measures in KP, Shehbaz Sharif said the federal government had initially tried to resolve its differences with the PTI through negotiations.

He said committees comprising representatives of the PML-N and PPP had held discussions with the PTI for 48 hours.

According to the prime minister, the federal government waited for the opposition's approval of a draft agreement reached during the negotiations, but it was not granted.

He described the decision to impose governor's rule as necessary to protect the people, the country, the economy and society.

“Had a timely decision not been taken, the province could have suffered further damage,” he said.

Shehbaz Sharif reiterated that the PML-N would continue working for the development, prosperity and public welfare of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.