PESHAWAR: A multi-party conference (MPC) in the provincial capital has expressed grave concern over the prevailing law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and held the provincial government’s inability and poor policies responsible for resuscitation of militancy in KP.

“Political parties warn the government to take immediate steps to restore peace in KP, otherwise opposition parties may consider taking tough decisions against the government,” read a declaration adopted at the MPC of opposition parties at Mufti Mahmood Markaz here on Sunday.

The conference, attended by members from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party and Awami National Party, jointly voiced their concerns over target killings, kidnappings for ransom and terror incidents and demanded that provincial government take immediate steps to protect life and property of the general public.

They termed recent killings of the JUI-F leaders “a point of serious concern” for the government as well as the state institutions and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families of security personnel and civilians who embraced martyrdom in different incidents in Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts.

Opposition parties’ MPC warns of ‘tough decisions’ against PTI-led provincial government

The declaration also expressed concern over KP’s financial position, corruption and nepotism, saying the provincial debt had surged from Rs300 billion in 2013 to Rs900bn in 2022 despite the fact that not even a single mega project was launched by the PTI government over the last nine years.

It criticised [the provincial assembly] for passing ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ministers (salaries, allowance and privileges) (second amendment) Bill, 2022’, which, the opposition political parties believed, was meant to protect PTI Chairman Imran Khan from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a case relating to misuse of the KP government’s helicopter.

Following the MPC, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said at a press conference that they [Pakistan Democratic Movement] had no idea [about the challenges it would face after throwing out the PTI-led government at the Centre].

“We had no idea we are into the quagmire — the more you struggle to get out, the more you go down,” was the JUI-F leader’s response to a question about the current challenges the country was confronted with. He said the country was on the verge of bankruptcy, but the incumbent government held successful talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Maulana Fazl, who is also president of the PDM, said the centre was being attacked from two sides [referring to the KP and Punjab governments] and its problems were being augmented, holding the previous PTI-led government at the centre responsible for the current turmoil.

He claimed that the PTI was unable to hold any protest or long march as it had lost its political strength. “Obviously, unrest leaves an impact on trade,” he said, adding that aid organisations would have to think multiple times before offering financial assistance due to the current unrest.

The JUI-F chief questioned the payment of arrears to the KP government, wondering “how is it possible to transfer finances to a government which can be dissolved any time”.

“You (PTI) are asking the federal government to release the arrears, but at the same time you have announced dissolving the PTI government in KP,” Maulana Fazl said, adding that “giving money [to such a government] was meant to sink the money”.

The JUI-F chief told journalists that MPC’s recommendations would be shared with the federal government.

Published in Dawn, january 2th, 2023