PM Shehbaz reaches Peshawar in first visit after imposition of governor's rule

AI Summary

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Peshawar for the first time since emergency and governor’s rule were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was expected to chair a counterterrorism committee amid disputes between the federal government and the PTI over security policy and the deployment of army troops.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached Peshawar on Thursday on his first visit to the province since governor’s rule and emergency were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11, according to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). PM Shehbaz is expected to chair the apex committee on terrorism during his visit, PMO sources said. The Centre imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP on Oct 11, citing the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The decisions were also endorsed by the Parliament last week amid protests by the opposition. The move also followed a mobilisation drive and protest march by the PTI, which was in power in KP and in opposition in the Centre, to demand the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan. Intense negotiations between the two sides a week before the imposition of governor’s rule had failed to yield any results, with counterterrorism policy being one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their talks. The PTI said it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP, which the Centre denied. It also called for reviewing the counterterrorism policy, while the latter criticised the KP government’s efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objected to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban. Soon after, the Centre also authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in KP. Federal ministers have also alleged that the PTI-led government in KP had a “nexus” with terrorist groups, stating that the province’s security situation necessitated the imposition of emergency there. More to follow.