THE recent changes in Khyber Pakhtun-khwa (KP) have been criticised, and understandably so, by the party that had been ruling the province for the last several years. While the federal government has been blamed for taking action against democratic principles, the fact remains that the changes have proved to be a blessing in disguise as far as the common man is concerned.

The imposition of governor’s rule has done what the elected government either failed to do or was not willing to do. Since the changes, the province has witnessed a meaningful administrative change. For instance, the anti-encroachment operations across the province have been warmly welcomed by the affected communities. This has eased traffic congestion in big cities like Peshawar and Mardan. The operations have ensured smooth traffic management.

This anti-encroachment drive has exposed the ‘democratic’ facade of dynastic political parties. During its tenure, the provincial government actually favoured the encroachers to keep its vote bank intact. After all, encroachers are also voters.

Political parties often fail to do anything that may compromise their vote banks. This is the main difference between populist parties and impartial administrations that can ‘afford’ to focus on good governance.

Yaseen Ahmad

Mardan

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2026