Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi co-chaired a meeting of the KP apex committee on Monday, a day after the imposition of the governor’s rule and emergency in the province.

Addressing the meeting, Governor Kundi asserted that under the new set-up, tackling terrorism would be the priority.

“We can sacrifice our development, but never security,” Kundi vowed.

He noted a “lack of synergy” in counterterrorism efforts in the province.

“Now it will show that there is (synergy),” he said, adding that the administration will “fulfil the demands of the counterterrorism department and police”.

He stressed that the administration will “work 24/7” as the federal government and the “people had put faith in us”.

“We have to show the difference,” he said, adding that there was no time for holidays or weekends.

He stressed that the administration was moving towards “result-oriented” actions, rather than cosmetic measures.

Co-chairing the meeting alongside Kundi, Naqvi remarked: “Today is the first time I can proudly that the federal and the provincial governments are on the same page.”

He recalled, “In the past 2.5 years, we have seen many ups and downs.”

The minister stated that the most difficult work was that of the people fighting this war with “no backend support”.

“I remember we would reach from Islamabad, but the people living here would not even attend those funerals.”

Criticising the PTI-led government, he said: “It was the [provincial] government’s job to lead this war against terrorism, but they did not do it. They kept bowing their heads only because they did not want to compromise.

“But any war, no matter how many resources you have, cannot be won until the government there leads it,” he stressed.

“Not once, not twice; we requested them to work with us dozens of times,“ Naqvi emphasised.

More to follow.