PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentary leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Ahmed Kundi on Wednesday urged the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s government in the province to abandon “politics of confrontation” and adopt a policy of reconciliation with the federal government.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club alongside PPP parliamentary committee members and MPAs Mehr Sultana Advocate, Shazia Tehmas and Arbab Zarak, and minority wing leader Bahari Lal, Mr Kundi said the PTI should read the Constitution before criticising Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

He said the governor had the constitutional right to convene a meeting on the province’s law and order situation, particularly when the provincial government failed to address the issue.

“Before criticising the governor, they should read the Constitution, which they have kept in cupboards and is covered with dust,” he said.

Ahmed Kundi says PTI should abandon ‘politics of confrontation’

Mr Kundi criticised the KP cabinet for holding a special meeting in response to the governor’s high-level meeting on law and order and said the cabinet had used the occasion to criticise Mr Bilawal and Governor Kundi.

He said the PPP chairman had played a role in bringing the PTI and federal government to the negotiating table, but the PTI itself had subsequently caused the failure of the 12-hour-long talks.

The PPP leader said the Constitution provided the governor with a role to play when the chief minister failed to perform his responsibilities.

He advised Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to focus on governance instead of leading protests and long marches against the federal government.

“The chief minister is not an ordinary person. He should concentrate on running the province instead of coming out for protests every day and confronting the Centre,” he said.

Mr Kundi said the province was facing a serious law and order crisis and alleged that the situation had remained largely unchanged for years.

He claimed that the provincial government had failed to adequately implement federal policies aimed at combating terrorism and had instead continued to criticise the Centre.

“Today, terrorism has spread across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while government employees, police personnel and security forces are being targeted,” he said.

He also criticised the chief minister for allegedly failing to attend important federal forums, including meetings of the National Finance Commission and Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee, despite being invited.

“These are forums where decisions concerning the province’s rights are discussed,” he said.

Mr Kundi alleged that the provincial government had created unnecessary tensions with the Centre despite its heavy reliance on federal resources.

He claimed that around 98 per cent of the resources sustaining the province came through the Centre and urged the provincial government to cooperate with Islamabad on counterterrorism and other issues.

Referring to recent political protests, he said the PTI could not claim a moral high ground after its government had allegedly subjected PPP workers protesting peacefully outside the KP Assembly to a baton charge and tear gas.

“Those who consider their own long march legitimate should also remember how PPP’s peaceful protesters were treated outside the KP Assembly,” he said.

Mr Kundi said the PPP believed in collective decision-making and opposed unilateralism in politics. He said his party had historically brought political and religious parties together and pursued reconciliation in the larger interest of the people.

The PPP leader said that former prime minister and his party’s leader, Benazir Bhutto, had identified terrorism as one of the biggest challenges facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said the PPP remained committed to confronting the issue through political consensus.

He urged the PTI government to improve relations with the federal government and focus on governance, security and the rights of the people instead of confrontation.

“Islamabad should not be treated as an enemy. The provincial government should pursue reconciliation with the federal government and work for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2026