SWAT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-Parliamentarians’ central chairman and former chief minister Mahmood Khan said on Monday that the ongoing tensions between the federal and provincial governments were having a devastating impact on countrymen.

He made these remarks while addressing a “Meet the Press” event at the Swat Press Club.

Also present were PTI-P provincial president Syed Habib Ali Shah, former National Assembly candidate Usman Ghani, former provincial assembly candidate Abdul Ghafoor, party leader Syed Asif Bacha, and other senior party officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahmood said the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had deteriorated to alarming levels, with 70 to 80 per cent of the region now considered no-go areas. He expressed astonishment over the federal government’s continued involvement in the province’s mineral resources despite the devolution of powers under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

“The federal government already controls our resources, and we are not even being given our due share in electricity royalties,” he said.

Criticising Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and provincial assembly members, he said they had become mere puppets with no real function and lacked genuine commitment to the province’s development. “Even areas that were previously stable are now witnessing unrest,” he said. “The foundations we laid for a ‘New Pakistan’ and a ‘New Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ have sadly been undone, and we’ve regressed even beyond the old system.”

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025