Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi called on the Centre to address his province’s issues, asserting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “should take interest” in the matter.

At the same time, he also said he had conveyed to KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to focus on the “province’s governance rather than Adiala” — a reference to the PTI’s efforts and frequent protests outside the jail in Rawalpindi for party founder Imran Khan’s release.

Kundi made these remarks while speaking to the media in Islamabad after he met KP CM Afridi at the Governor House in Peshawar earlier in the day.

Speaking to the media, he warned that the “people of KP have reached a point where if they take to the streets tomorrow, nobody could be held responsible for it”.

Kundi urged the federal government to address KP’s issues, including the suspension of CNG supply and restrictions on wheat movement.

“If Punjab has issues with supplying wheat to KP, then allow us passage to ensure supply from Sindh,” Kundi said, claiming that KP authorities had been told to transport wheat from Sindh “via Balochistan and not through Punjab”.

He maintained that as a “representative of the Centre,” he had spoken to all sides, including relevant provincial ministers.

He urged PM Shehbaz to “take interest” in the province’s issues, warning that eventually “people will be forced to take to the streets”.

“When you do not give them roti, and there is no one to listen to their problems, they will certainly take to the streets,” Kundi warned.

On working with the PTI-led provincial government, Kundi assured cooperation “as long as it’s about the peace, harmony and issues of the province”.

He said he told CM Afridi that he should “focus on the governance, rather than Adiala,” citing the province’s governance, security, and corruption issues.

“Who will be responsible for governing the province if you are sitting outside Adiala for five days of the week?” Kundi said, advising the KP CM to “hand over the Adiala issue to PTI and act as the CM instead”.

Kundi quipped that there should be “two PTIs — one to focus on governance and one for Adiala”.

Earlier in the day, Kundi met CM Afridi at the Governor’s House. During the meeting, Kundi said in a post on X, he “highlighted key governance gaps affecting people of KP, including disruptions in essential supplies and public relief systems”.

KP governor maintained that he told the KP CM that the provincial government “must step forward with immediate [and] practical measures to ensure effective service delivery and address public concerns”.

He also stressed the need for protection of KP’s constitutional rights and “enhanced welfare and operational support for KP police”.

Kundi had spoken about KP’s issues during a media talk on Friday as well, saying that he had raised the issue of the suspension of CNG supply and with the federal government, and alleged the Centre was treating the province unfairly.

He had also termed the ban on the movement of wheat a serious issue and said that KP residents should not be punished for voting for PTI. He had urged the federal government to sit with the KP authorities to resolve wheat and gas supply issues.

Last week on May 10, Kundi met with PTI leaders and discussed KP’s constitutional and economic rights, stressing the need to present a firm case before the federal government to ensure “justice and fair treatment”.

Since taking charge as the province’s chief executive in October 2025, CM Afridi has repeatedly accused the Centre of stalling the release of funds allocated to KP, particularly those committed to the merged districts under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

He had also condemned the Punjab government’s tighter controls on inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour through a permit regime to curb price hikes within the province.

The province has also been affected by a deepening CNG crisis in April that brought economic activity to a near standstill, with hundreds of filling stations shut and millions of citizens struggling for affordable fuel.