KP CM calls governor’s meeting with senior officials ‘unconstitutional’, seeks legal opinion

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday termed the governor’s summoning of the chief secretary and inspector general of police to a security meeting “unconstitutional and an assault on democracy”, saying the provincial government will seek legal opinion on the matter.

Addressing a provincial cabinet meeting, Afridi said the government elected with a two-thirds majority, along with the provincial assembly and cabinet, was fully functional. He said the constitutional mechanism for removing a chief minister was a vote of no confidence.

“The provincial government would seek the advocate general’s opinion on the governor’s move and would not tolerate unconstitutional actions against the democratic system,” he said.

The development comes a day after KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi chaired a security meeting attended by Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed and other senior officials.

Kundi said the province could not afford complacency amid continuing terrorism, crime and law-and-order challenges. He stressed that the safety of the people should remain the provincial government’s foremost responsibility and said political activity should not come at the expense of security.

Meanwhile, the chief minister criticised the federal government’s security policy, saying that despite thousands of intelligence-based operations, 22 major military operations and the loss of 80,000 lives over the past 22 years, lasting peace had not been achieved.

He called for a change in the existing security policy and claimed that if the policy proposed by stakeholders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was implemented, the provincial government could establish peace in the province within 100 days.

Afridi said his government was strengthening the police, Counter Terrorism Department and Special Branch to improve the province’s security capacity.

He also demanded the payment of the province’s outstanding dues, its share under the National Finance Commission and financial integration of the tribal districts. He said financial rights and compensation for tribal people displaced as a result of federal policies had yet to be fully paid, adding that the provincial government had so far provided Rs21 billion for displaced people.

The chief minister described alleged actions against provincial ministers and PTI workers as attempts to provoke the government, but said his administration would remain peaceful and operate within the Constitution and law.

He directed the inspector general and chief secretary not to comply with any order they considered unconstitutional or illegal. He also ordered an immediate inquiry into allegations of misuse of authority by police officials and directed action against those found responsible.