By Fazal Amin Shinwari
PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the federal government and military leadership were working together to restore lasting peace and accelerate development in terrorism-hit districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Addressing a meeting of the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan at Governor House, the prime minister said difficult decisions had been taken in view of the deteriorating law and order situation. He expressed confidence that coordinated efforts by the federal government and military leadership would help restore peace, stability and prosperity in the province.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Mohsin Naqvi, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Amir Muqam, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ali Pervez Malik, Attaullah Tarar and Sardar Awais Leghari, as well as Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah and senior civil and military officials.
Sharif said around 80,000 people had lost their lives in the war against terrorism, while the country had suffered billions of dollars in economic losses. He paid tribute to security personnel and civilians who had sacrificed their lives in the fight against militancy.
The prime minister criticized the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, alleging that neglect of public services and security institutions had contributed to the resurgence of terrorism. He said 5,000 police posts had remained vacant during the PTI government and the Safe City project in the province was still incomplete.
He added that police and the Counter Terrorism Department had not received adequate training, modern weapons and equipment. According to the prime minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had received around Rs800 billion since 2010 under the National Finance Commission award to support its counterterrorism efforts.
Sharif said an advisory council comprising experts from different fields had been established to address governance challenges and public grievances. He assured the people of the province that the federal government, in cooperation with the military leadership, would work to improve security and provide basic facilities.
The meeting was briefed on emergency measures in 12 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Participants also paid tribute to security personnel who had sacrificed their lives for peace in the province.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said maintaining law and order was the government’s top priority, stressing that cooperation among state institutions was essential for lasting peace, stability and development. He said the government aimed to make the province a model of security, prosperity and public welfare.
