Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has claimed that the head of a political party is deeply upset after being denied a provincial governorship and a share in the governor’s rule imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Speaking informally to journalists in Lahore, Naqvi criticised a political leader without naming him, alleging that the politician was unhappy over being excluded from arrangements related to the provincial governorship and the imposition of governor’s rule in KP.
The interior minister claimed that the politician in question had relied on the establishment for political support for several decades. He further alleged that the leader’s dependence on the establishment had extended to arranging airline tickets for members of his political party.
Naqvi said politicians with such a political history were in no position to criticise others over their alleged connections with the establishment.
He stressed that political differences should be addressed through reasoned arguments and facts rather than offensive language and baseless accusations.
Addressing the issue of resources and rights of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Naqvi questioned why certain political leaders had suddenly become concerned about the allocation of resources to the merged tribal districts.
He asked why these politicians had remained silent when the former FATA districts were allegedly deprived of their rightful share in resources for several years.
The interior minister questioned why these leaders had failed to raise their voices for the rights of the people of the former tribal areas during that period.
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He maintained that the rights and resources of the former FATA districts should be treated as matters of public interest rather than political bargaining.
Turning to the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Naqvi expressed concern over the serious security challenges confronting the province.
He urged political leaders to contribute to restoring peace and eliminating terrorism instead of escalating political tensions and creating instability.
The interior minister emphasised that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa currently needs peace, stability and collective efforts rather than political confrontation.
He called for a united approach to addressing security challenges, stressing that efforts to restore lasting peace in the province must rise above political differences.
Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court has scheduled October 20 for hearing separate petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar and advocate Salman Khan challenging the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The petitions challenge the decision to impose emergency and governor’s rule in the province and name the Federation of Pakistan, the president, the prime minister, the KP governor and other relevant authorities as respondents.
According to the information provided, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11, acting on the prime minister’s advice under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
The measures have also received approval from both houses of parliament.