Federal govt forms 11-member advisory council to run KP affairs under governor

The federal government has constituted an 11-member Advisory Council to assist the governor in running Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s affairs and established a separate secretariat for 12 districts under emergency rule imposed in the province.

The measures were announced by Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar at a joint news conference in Islamabad on Sunday, following the promulgation of emergency and Governor’s Rule under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.

Tarar said the provincial government led by former chief minister Sohail Afridi had ceased to function under the constitutional measures, with powers previously exercised by the chief minister, provincial cabinet and advisers transferred to the governor.

The Advisory Council comprises Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Dr Aamir Abdullah, retired Lt Gen Nigar Johar, Samar Haroon Bilour, Dr Sarfaraz Ali, Aamir Javed, Dr M Irshad, Kifayatullah, Tayyab Qureshi, Usman Saifullah Khan and Asif Rafiq.

According to the notification, the council will assist the governor in administering the province. Sanaaullah Advocate has been appointed Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while provincial affairs will be conducted under the Government Rules of Business, 1985. The measures took effect immediately.

Tarar said a separate secretariat had also been established under the governor and chief secretary to administer 12 sensitive districts, with the setup reporting directly to the federal government. He added that Army troops had been deployed under Article 245 to assist the governor in maintaining law and order.

The law minister said the emergency was imposed in response to deteriorating law and order and what he described as inadequate cooperation by the provincial government in combating terrorism. He said incidents of terrorism and extremism in the province had increased by 196% over the past two and a half years.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the federal government had spent more than a month trying to secure the KP government’s cooperation in counterterrorism efforts. He said negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had continued for two days but failed to produce an agreement.

Naqvi said the federal government had sought joint action against terrorism, including strengthening police capacity and providing resources to affected districts. He also claimed that 518 police personnel had been killed in the province over the past year and a half.

The government’s decision followed a review of the province’s security situation by the federal cabinet and a recommendation to the prime minister to advise the president on constitutional measures, Tarar said.

He added that separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate, as well as a joint sitting of Parliament, would be convened in the coming days to endorse the measures.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also accused the PTI and the KP government of facilitating militant elements. These allegations represent the federal government’s position.