Prime Minister pledges to restore peace and accelerate development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while accusing the previous provincial government of neglecting security and public services.
PESHAWAR, October 22, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was undertaken under “extreme compulsion”, as the federal government reviewed the province’s deteriorating security situation.
Addressing a meeting of the federal apex committee in Peshawar on Thursday, the premier pledged to restore peace and accelerate development across the province. It was his first visit to KP since governor’s rule and the emergency were imposed on October 11.
Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, federal ministers and newly appointed provincial advisers attended the meeting.
Shehbaz described KP as a beautiful province and said its people deserved prosperity and access to essential services. He pledged to work with the military leadership to improve security and bring development in line with other provinces.
The prime minister criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the resurgence of militancy, arguing that peace had been restored across Pakistan, including KP, by 2017 and 2018 through sacrifices by security personnel and civilians.
He said around 80,000 people had been killed in the war against terrorism, which had also inflicted billions of dollars in economic losses. Shehbaz accused the previous provincial government of undermining those sacrifices by allowing terrorists to return. These allegations were made by the prime minister during his address.
He also criticised the previous administration’s performance in education, healthcare and public safety, claiming that 5,000 police vacancies had remained unfilled and the Safe City project was incomplete. He raised concerns over the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), police training and the provision of modern equipment to security personnel.
Shehbaz said more than Rs800 billion had been provided to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award for counterterrorism efforts. He regretted that militancy had resurged despite the funding.
The premier further alleged corruption involving Rs100 billion in a clean drinking water project and Rs37 billion in the Kohistan mega scandal, and questioned the award of contracts under the placer gold project. These claims were not independently established in the remarks provided.
Advisory council to address provincial challenges
Shehbaz announced that an advisory council comprising experts from different fields had been established to help resolve the province’s problems. He thanked allied parties for supporting the decision and acknowledged President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.
The prime minister also expressed grief over deaths caused by a school roof collapse, saying KP’s people had endured years of deprivation and deserved basic facilities.
Invoking the legacy of poets Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak, he reiterated his commitment to restoring peace, improving public services and promoting sustainable development across the province.