Former federal minister and politician Fawad Chaudhry criticised the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the constitutional and political status of the former tribal districts’ merger with the province, saying the government is entirely focused on targeting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership while no clear counterterrorism plan has yet emerged.  In a statement on social media platform X, he said governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had entered its second week, but no implementation strategy had been formulated to eliminate terrorism.

He questioned whether a concrete plan would also be presented against terrorists alongside targeting the opposition and PTI leadership.  Explaining the constitutional points, he said that under the Constitution of Pakistan, even in an emergency, the chief minister, speaker and cabinet remain in office, the provincial assembly continues to exist, and only some powers of the chief executive are suspended.  However, he said, what is currently happening in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a clear violation of the Constitution, while PTI’s own leadership is also displaying complete indifference to the situation. 

The former federal minister warned that pushing all political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the wall and then expecting conditions to improve was an extremely foolish approach. He said the people were already paying a heavy price for the country’s wrong decisions and the state should not create more enemies.  Speaking about the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Fawad Chaudhry said abolishing the administrative structure established during the British era and making the new areas—the tribal districts—part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had not proved to be the right decision.

He said the politics and society of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were completely different from those of the tribal areas, and that governing these areas under their traditional customary law was the most appropriate and constitutional approach.  He added that the tribespeople themselves were demanding restoration of their old system, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would also have no objection to their demand. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)