ABBOTTABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday urged political parties to unite and prioritise peace amid escalating unrest in the province.

Addressing a press conference at Abbottabad Press Club, he stressed the need for holding a multi-party conference to address the deteriorating law and order situation in the province.

Mr Kundi criticised provincial government for not paying tribute to martyrs during the session of provincial assembly. He said that provincial government was focusing on whether Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) would be banned. He condemned the use of abusive politics by those lacking substantial arguments.

He said that people in chief minister’s constituency were paying extortion to militants. He said that peace was established in the province by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government from 2008 to 2013. He stressed the need for creating employment opportunities in the province and mentioned the ongoing talks with China to activate industrial zones.

Calls for holding MPC on deteriorating law and order in the province

The governor criticised the provincial government’s complaints about not receiving funds from centre and said that they were silent over the issue when their party was in power in the centre. He vowed to secure the rights of province through arguments and discussions, noting misappropriation of funds intended for merged districts.

He announced inauguration of Chashma Left Canal with the prime minister’s cooperation. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had constitutional right over its natural resources. He also criticised bureaucratic obstacles to supply of wheat from Punjab.

The governor also highlighted administrative shortcomings and said that 26 out of 34 universities in the province were without vice-chancellors. He said that PTI made claims about supporting youth but there was shortage of sports facilities and cricket academies in the province.

He said that cricket academies would be established in Peshawar and Abbottabad. He said Governor’s House was playing the role of bridge between provincial government and centre but lamented lack of cooperation in that regard.

Mr Kundi said that conspirators of Bannu incident should be exposed and people should not be pushed into conflict. He defended the democratic right to peaceful protest and condemned PTI for holding violent demonstrations in the past.

He lauded Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s political acumen and urged political parties to work together for prosperity of the province.

He reaffirmed PPP’s commitment to freedom of expression and promised to address issues of journalists. He pledged a transparent inquiry into irregularities at Abbottabad University, highlighted by PPP provincial president Mohammad Ali Bacha and office-bearers of the press club.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2024