ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Rule administration to prioritise short-term initiatives delivering immediate public relief over long-term development projects, saying people deprived of basic facilities for 13 years needed tangible improvements in their daily lives.
Addressing a meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) KP parliamentary party and office-bearers, he said improving law and order, building schools and ensuring the availability of medicines in hospitals could make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.
“If you take small steps to improve law and order, build a school and ensure that medicines reach hospitals, people who have been deprived for 13 years will pray for you,” he said.
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Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has governed the province for nearly 13 years, the prime minister questioned how many universities and hospitals had been established during its tenure and how public funds had been utilised.
He alleged that political slogans, protests and confrontation had taken precedence over public service.
Defending the federal government’s decision to impose governor’s rule in KP, he said the Centre had initially pursued negotiations with the opposition but was eventually left with no alternative.
The move, he maintained, had become necessary to protect people’s lives, the country, the economy and society from further damage.
A major part of his address focused on terrorism and the utilisation of additional financial resources allocated to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
Recalling the 2010 NFC Award, he said KP had received an additional one per cent allocation because of its special circumstances arising from the war against terrorism.
The province had received approximately Rs800 billion under the arrangement, he said, questioning how much had been invested in strengthening law enforcement and counterterrorism capabilities.
“How many Safe City projects have been established in KP with Rs800 billion,” he asked, also questioning why around 5,000 vacant police positions remained unfilled.
He said the resources should have been used to equip police with modern weapons, provide professional training and strengthen the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
An investment of even Rs80 billion in police capacity over the years, he argued, could have significantly improved its preparedness.
Paying tribute to the people of KP, police personnel, armed forces and political leaders who had sacrificed their lives in the fight against terrorism, he said Pakistan had suffered around 80,000 fatalities and economic losses estimated at USD 150 billion to USD 200 billion.
He recalled that terrorism had largely been eliminated by 2017-18 through collective efforts under former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Referring to the Army Public School massacre in Peshawar, he said the sacrifice of innocent children would remain etched in the nation’s memory.
He also recalled the killing of political figures, including Bashir Bilour, and said Amir Muqam had been targeted by terrorists.
The prime minister alleged that militants had been brought back from Afghanistan and resettled in parts of KP, particularly Swat, during 2019 and 2020, contributing to renewed terrorist violence.
He said thousands of civilians and security personnel had since lost their lives and called for national unity against militancy.
“We invited them to join hands, as we had done in the past, to collectively fight terrorism, but our appeal was not heeded,” he said.
Sharif also criticised long marches and sit-ins, particularly PTI’s 2014 protest, saying it had led to the postponement of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan.
He contrasted this with the president’s eventual visit in 2015, when important agreements were signed.
He credited Nawaz Sharif’s government with ending prolonged electricity outages, which had reached 20 hours a day in some areas.
On the economy, he said the political and military leadership had worked together over the past two and a half years to stabilise the country.
Acknowledging pressure from international developments and the Gulf conflict, he said the government had introduced a fuel subsidy programme benefiting approximately 13 million people through vouchers, with Rs75 billion allocated for the initiative.
Recalling the 2013 general elections, he said Nawaz Sharif had allowed the majority party to form the KP government, demonstrating his commitment to democratic continuity. He described the province as home to courageous and dignified people who deserved better public services and sustained development.
Earlier, PML-N KP president and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam said people in the province wanted peace, stability and development rather than divisive politics.
He claimed the party had a strong presence across KP and would continue working for national and provincial development under Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026