Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam on Monday said that the deteriorating governance and law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa negatively impacted people’s lives besides marred development works.

KP has lately been witnessing a rise in terror attacks across the province, especially targeting security forces. A report released by an Islamabad-based think-tank, Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), earlier this month said 29 out of the 59 terrorist attacks reported across the country in August took place in KP.

A day ago, a policeman escorting a convoy of foreign diplomats was martyred after a roadside explosion in Swat. The delegation, including diplomats from 12 countries, was returning to Islamabad from Malam Jabba when their vehicle was targeted. The foreign dignitaries remained unhurt but six policemen were injured.

Muqam said that the imposition of the governor’s rule was a constitutional provision that would be considered as a last option for the sake of the people if the ongoing situation does not improve in KP.

While expressing concern over the law and order situation in the southern districts and merged areas of KP, Muqam mentioned the Swat blast.

“The blast was a deep-rooted conspiracy aimed at damaging the country’s image, he said.

“Empty slogans”

The federal minister said that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was focused on agitation and public rallies rather than addressing governance and law and order issues in the province.

Muqam said that police in KP were incited to protest for the first time making it unsafe for people to leave their homes after night, especially in southern districts and merged areas of the province.

He criticised the KP government’s poor performance, especially in the higher education sector in the province, where about 25 public sector universities are operating without vice-chancellors (VCs), marring education standards and research works immensely.

He said that instead of appointing VCs, the KP CM had announced plans to sell university properties which would lead to economic collapse for these cash-starved educational institutions in the province.

The federal minister noted recent accusations of malpractices, nepotism, and corruption among provincial ministers and advisers, stating that the public now sees the CM’s statements as empty slogans and is mocking them.

After PTIs failed Lahore show, he said that the KP CM intentionally delayed the convoy to the event, predicting similar outcomes for the upcoming planned shows of PTI in Mianwali and Rawalpindi.

Muqam praised the people of Lahore for distancing themselves from the “divisiveness, agitation, and hollow slogans’ politics of PTI”, indicating that the poor turnout at the Lahore gathering strongly reflected the growing discontent of masses with PTI leadership due to their “stubbornness and rhetoric approach”.

Commenting on CM Gandapur’s offer to talk to the Afghan government to improve the law and order situation in his province, Muqam said that he had “no mandate to negotiate directly with the Afghan government on an issue, which is the federal government’s responsibility”.

He mentioned the sacrifices of the people of KP in combating terrorism and reiterated hopes for peace from the provincial government, which had failed to address terrorism effectively.

He also said that KP CM had not made any solid efforts to mediate a peace deal among warring tribes in Parachinar in Kurram district where people were martyred and injured in fighting on land disputes.

On judicial reforms, Muqam said that the government advocates constitutional amendments through consensus to provide speedy justice to litigants.

He added that the judiciary is independent and will adjudicate cases against the PTI founder charged with corruption and rule out the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) for anyone.