• Claims party did ‘very little’ for the province
• Questions whether funds received from Centre were spent on people’s welfare
• PTI says PM has no moral authority to lecture it on ‘democracy and governance’

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday criticised the PTI for doing “very little” to address the basic needs of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and blamed the former ruling party for the rise in terrorism and misgovernance in the province.

He made these remarks during a meeting of the PML-N’s parliamentary party from KP held in Islamabad. He said the PTI had been in power for 13 years and made numerous promises to the public. Whether any of these pledges had been fulfilled during the party’s 13 years in power, he questioned.

“How many universities have been established there? How many new hospitals have been built? How much has the healthcare system improved? What facilities have actually been provided to the people? And how much corruption has taken place in the process?” he asked.

The PM also questioned whether public funds had been utilised transparently for the welfare and betterment of KP. “From Peshawar to Kohistan and Hazara, and across the entire southern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the majority of people would tell you that the PTI government has done very little, if anything, to address their basic needs,” he said.

The PM said the party had spent the past two and a half years engaged in marches and protests. He also criticised the PTI for allowing “brutal terrorists” from Afghanistan to settle in Swat.

He said that hundreds of billions had been allocated to the KP government under a special National Finance Commission (NFC) arrangement to combat terrorism. The PM said that even if the PTI-led KP government had spent Rs80 billion on strengthening the police and other law enforcement agencies, they would have been better equipped to tackle security challenges. “But unfortunately, that did not happen,” he added.

The premier further said that thousands of civilians and security personnel had been martyred during the past two and a half years, adding that the PTI had been offered an opportunity to join hands with the federal government to combat terrorism, as it had done in the past.

PM Shehbaz said the federal government was compelled to impose an emergency and governor’s rule, as it had no other option. He emphasised that the Centre’s decision had been “timely”, warning that the consequences would have been severe had it been delayed. He said the federal government had managed to put the national economy back on its feet, but acknowledged that the recovery process would be a long journey.

‘No moral authority’

The PTI warned the federal government against blaming the provincial administration for the province’s security and governance problems.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the PM had no moral authority to lecture the party on democracy and governance, alleging that the incumbent government came into power through electoral manipulation and political arrangements.

Responding to the prime minister’s remarks, Waqas Akram accused the federal government of shifting responsibility for the province’s worsening security situation onto the elected provincial government.

He claimed that KP had enjoyed greater peace and stability during the tenure of former prime minister Imran Khan, while terrorism had resurged under the present political setup. He also alleged that the federal government had failed to provide the province with necessary resources and equipment for counterterrorism operations.

Sheikh Waqas said the Sohail Afridi-led provincial government had allocated funds for strengthening the police, including the purchase of vehicles and meeting operational requirements.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2026