PESHAWAR: After months of tensions, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has formally invited provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur to make joint efforts to address the province’s issues.

He also proposed the formation of the United Task Force Committee, composed of representatives of all political parties in the province, for the purpose.

“UTFC will work together to advocate for equitable resource distribution, develop strategies for the National Finance Commission negotiations, propose measures to enhance security, promote political cohesion and identify key economic development initiatives,” read a letter written by the governor to the chief minister on Friday.

The letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, was titled “Strengthening Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Call for Collaborative Action.”

Govt rejects letter, insists it is taking corrective steps

It read that the province was confronted with governance challenges and the governor felt compelled to bring the chief minister’s attention to several critical issues that urgently demanded collaborative efforts.

“As you are aware, our province faces significant challenges including socio-political, economic, and security threats that have paralysed progress and stability, resulting in irreparable repercussions,” it read.

According to the governor, the issues are about the “fair distribution of resources and their optimal utilisation, National Finance Commission, net-hydel profit, wheeling of electricity, federal excise duty on oil, water share besides security concerns and socio-economic and political landscape of the province that ultimately affected the people.”

He said the UTFC should be formed to effectively address those challenges.

Mr Kundi said he was committed to serving all residents of the province.

“I believe that our collective efforts can yield positive outcomes for the province. By uniting our voices, we can effectively present our concerns to the federal government,” he said.

The governor welcomed the chief minister’s thoughts on the proposal and said that he would like to convene an initial meeting to discuss the UTFC’s formation.

“Together, we can pave the way for a more prosperous and secure future for our province,” he said.

On the other hand, the provincial government rejected the offer, insisting it is aware of the issues and is taking steps to address them.

“The governor has no authority to make any offer to us. We [PTI government] have people’s mandate to address their issues,” spokesman for the government Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif told Dawn.

Political observers insist that the provincial government’s focus is on the release of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan instead of people’s development.

On Sept 24, parliamentary leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party in the KP Assembly Ahmad Kareem Kundi urged the provincial government to work for people’s development and raise voice for their rights instead of staging rallies across the country.

He alleged that the ruling PTI’s ministers and lawmakers were disconnected from people’s problems and were overly focused on holding public meetings.

“The Council of Common Interest has been tasked with resolving issues among federating units but the PTI’s government has never bothered to engage with that constitutional forum to claim rights for the province,” he said.

The PPP leader said he had no objections to the ruling PTI’s staging rallies anywhere in the country but wanted to remind it of its duty of raising voice for the rights of people who had voted it to power.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2024