PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam on Saturday discussed the province’s security and political situation, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to restoring peace and promoting development.
In a joint statement issued after a meeting at Governor House, the two leaders said KP residents had grown frustrated with terrorism and confrontation. They also thanked the people for rejecting what they described as the “politics of unrest”.
Separately, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar at a presser in Islamabad criticised the PTI-led KP government over its alleged poor governance and failure to strengthen counterterrorism infrastructure despite receiving substantial federal funds.
He claimed the KP government had received Rs700 billion under the National Finance Commission, but failed to upgrade the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), establish forensic laboratories or install safe city cameras in merged districts and at the province’s entry and exit points. Instead, he alleged, the PTI was spending money on organising protests.
Tarar slams PTI govt for ‘poor governance, failure to curb terrorism’
“You don’t even give half an hour to discuss terrorism in the province, but you organise six-hour meetings to spread turmoil and vandalism,” he remarked.
Mr Tarar accused the PTI of neglecting public services and development while pursuing the release of its jailed founder, former prime minister Imran Khan. He alleged that the provincial government had failed to address poverty, healthcare, education and infrastructure needs.
He also accused the PTI of facilitating terrorists’ return to the country, calling it the “B-team” of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
“The security forces will clear an area of terrorists and establish peace, but you will bring the terrorists back,” he alleged.
The minister said the PTI government had dragged the province into the “Stone Age” over the past 13 years. Questioning Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s performance, he challenged the provincial government to identify major hospitals, universities, highways and information technology projects delivered for residents. “This province needs peace, not politics,” he said.
Asked whether the federal government was considering an emergency or governor’s rule in KP, Mr Tarar said it was premature to comment. He alleged that several districts had become no-go areas and that residents travelled to Punjab and other provinces for medical treatment.
Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Information for KP Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan also criticised the provincial government’s development record, claiming that 18 of KP’s 34 universities were on the verge of bankruptcy amid vacant vice-chancellor positions.
Mr Wali said KP residents travelling to Karachi found its roads better than those in their own province. He urged journalists to highlight public concerns over healthcare and other services.
Calling the KP police a “shuhada force”, he accused the provincial government of leaving personnel inadequately armed and withholding funds allocated to the CTD. He also alleged corruption and poor governance among provincial ministers.
He said the province needed peace, better healthcare and a political culture based on tolerance, acceptance and respect.
Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2026
