PESHAWAR: Treasury members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday expressed concerns over the ban imposed on the use of fertilisers, insisting that the move has caused serious problems for the agriculture sector in the province.

They said that though the ban was slapped over the alleged fertiliser use in bomb making and other militant activities, authorities should monitor the supply of fertilisers and register those receiving them.

During a provincial assembly session chaired by Deputy Speaker Suriyya Bibi here, public health engineering minister Fazal Shakoor Khan said that the federal government had banned urea fertiliser, causing damage to the agriculture sector.

He urged all lawmakers to join hands, unanimously pass a resolution and request the federal government to withdraw the ban.

Warn move has caused serious problems for agriculture sector

The minister said the federal government should monitor fertiliser distribution, while the house should take the issue seriously.

“They say urea fertiliser is used in militant activities, so as bomb explosions take place in the markets, should the markets be closed?”

The minister said that some institutions had encroached on the domains of others and were checking social media accounts instead of performing their core duties.

He called for a walkout against the federal government’s position on the matter.

Law minister Aftab Alam Afridi said that despite being a subject of the provincial government, the federal government amended rules to establish a company that the provincial government believed was an indirect interference in its affairs.

He said that the mining department was also facing issues as the federal government had banned the supply of explosives. He added that people in several KP districts depended on agriculture to earn livelihood.

“KP’s surplus gas is being utilised for fertiliser production,” he said.

The minister said that everyone was aware of those “involved in militant activities to serve their interests”.

He said that the issue would be taken up with the chief minister and chief secretary.

Mr Afridi said that minerals were a lifeline for KP residents, so the issue would be taken seriously.

Treasury lawmaker Abdul Kabir said it was a “genuine issue”, which involved agriculturists in the province.

He said first, nitrate was banned and now, a ban was imposed on fertiliser.

Mr Kabir said the next maize crop would face issues, so the issue should be resolved immediately.

Earlier, treasury MPA Ajmal Khan said that people in his constituency in Bajaur tribal district couldn’t leave their houses in the evening due to the volatile law and order situation. He also said that movement in the daytime, too, was full of danger.

He said that the day the nation was celebrating Independence Day, a security checkpost came under attack in his village, leaving a cop martyred and another injured.

The lawmaker said that a peace jirga was held in the past with all stakeholders from across the province being in attendance.

He added that a decision was made and a resolution passed, with the points agreed upon being about surety for peace. Mr Khan questioned how much those points had been implemented. He demanded house discussions on them.

“Our job is legislation for the development of the province. This house represents the entire province, so we will have to extinguish the fire and secure our constituencies,” he said, urging the government to fulfil its duties.

He said that there was an unwritten Constitution in the previously tribal belt, so the powers-that-be should ensure law and order in the region.

The lawmaker called militants monsters and wondered where they came from.

During the sitting, member of the opposition PPP Ashbar Jan Jadoon complained about “illegal” mining in the province and said the activity was causing huge losses to the exchequer.

She said that nobody stopped the culprits from the activity, which also caused landslides and floods.

Minister Afridi told the house that 1,004 FIRs had been registered over illegal mining in different districts.

He also tabled the KP Drugs Amendment Bill, 2026, which was referred by the chair to the relevant house committee for submitting recommendations within 11 days.

The house passed the KP Ehsaas Rehribaan (Street Vendors) Livelihood Protection Bill, 2026.

The chair later adjourned the sitting until Friday afternoon.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2026