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 Advisory Council comprises Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Dr Aamir Abdullah, Lt Gen (retd) Nigar Johar, Samar Haroon Bilour, Dr Sarfaraz Ali Shah, Aamir Javed, Dr Mohammad Irshad, Kifayatullah Khan, Tayyab Qureshi, Usman Saifullah Khan and Asif Rafiq.

Sanaullah 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.

The names were announced by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah 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.

The 11-member advisory council would work under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to run the province’s affairs.

Addressing a news conference, Tarar said most of the members are technocrats with expertise in their respective fields, who can help bring reforms and steer the province toward progress.

“This selection is entirely on merit,” he said, adding that the council balances regional and district representation with skill and merit.

The information minister said Kifayatullah Khan, a former IG Prisons and former chairman of the FATA Tribunal, will be advisor for the Home Department. He has served in the Home and Tribal Affairs Department and as commissioner of Mardan and Dera Ismail Khan. Tariq Mehmood Pasha, a former chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), former secretary of the Economic Affairs Division and former joint secretary at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, will handle Finance, he added.

Tarar said Pasha has an unblemished civil service career.

Amir Javed, an Advocate Supreme Court and former advocate general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will take charge of Advisor for Law, Tarar said, adding that the legal fraternity is unanimous that his integrity is beyond doubt. Education goes to Dr Syed Amir Abdullah, who holds a PhD in international relations from the Netherlands and is a former caretaker provincial minister for industries and commerce and a former member of the NACTA expert committee.

He said Lt Gen (retd) Nigar Khan, Pakistan’s first female lieutenant general, will advise on health. Tarar described her as a source of national pride who has represented the country on international platforms, and said her competence is widely acknowledged. Dr Sarfaraz Ali Shah, who holds a PhD in economics from France and previously served as adviser for planning and development and for communications and works, will advise on Mines and Minerals.

Dr Muhammad Irshad, a member of the board of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society with a PhD in finance and a former FBR chairman, has been assigned the role of Advisor on Industries and Commerce. Asif Rafiq Afridi, an entrepreneur and former caretaker provincial minister, will advise on Communication and Works. Maulana Muhammad Tayyab Qureshi, chief khateeb of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and administrator of Jamia Ashrafia, will advise on Religious Affairs. Tarar said he has contributed significantly to counterterrorism efforts.

Osman Saifullah Khan, a former senator who served on the board of GIK Institute and the board of management of PSO, and is a former chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, will advise on Energy. MNA Samar Haroon Bilour, a former member of the provincial assembly and former chairperson of its standing committee on information and public relations, will advise on Information and Broadcasting. Tarar noted that her husband and father-in-law were killed fighting terrorism, and called her one of the province’s most educated and empowered women.

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

Federal Law Minister Azam 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 law minister 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 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.