Shehbaz Sharif holds security meeting in Peshawar — Dawn

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing a high-level committee meeting in Peshawar dedicated to the overall security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. As Dawn reports, the meeting is attended by provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, federal and provincial ministers, and senior military leadership.

Visit to Peshawar

Sharif arrived in Peshawar on October 22. According to sources in the prime minister's office, this is his first visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since governor's rule and a state of emergency were introduced in the province on October 11.

Federal authorities explained these decisions by claiming that the provincial government led by the PTI party had allegedly deliberately withdrawn from fighting terrorism. Last week, parliament backed the introduction of a state of emergency and governor's rule despite opposition protests.

The meeting is expected to review the overall security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and measures being taken to counter terrorism. Earlier, Kundi, together with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, chaired a meeting of this committee the day after governor's rule was introduced.

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At the time, Kundi, who is governing the province under the new arrangement, said he would implement all federal government policies and cooperate with the security forces. He also called the fight against terrorism a priority for the new administration.

Differences over security policy

After governor's rule was introduced, federal authorities authorized the deployment of Pakistani army units and resources to assist civilian authorities in the province. Federal ministers said that the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had “links” with terrorist groups and connected the need for a state of emergency with the security situation in the region.

PTI said it had been excluded from decision-making on security in the province, but federal authorities denied this. Talks between the sides a week before governor's rule was introduced ended without results; counterterrorism policy was one of the main points of disagreement. Federal authorities also criticized the provincial government's approach to countering terrorism and its position on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.