PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has agreed to play his constitutional role if the president and prime minister deem governor’s rule or an emergency necessary in the province, stated a statement issued on Sunday.
The agreement came during a meeting between Kundi and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at Governor House, Peshawar, according to the statement.
The meeting came a day after the government-opposition negotiations aimed at averting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) October 4 long march on Islamabad collapsed.
PTI — which rules KP — and a delegation from the government and PPP held three rounds of talks but on Sunday morning, they finally broke down, with Naqvi clarifying that “talks have collapsed” and that the KP CM Sohail Afridi was behind their sabotage.
Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed that the primary reason for the failure of overnight talks was the federal government’s insistence that all anti-terrorism actions it unilaterally initiated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be owned by the provincial government.
During today’s meeting, Kundi and Naqvi discussed the political and security situation in the province and agreed to play their constitutional role to protect Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from terrorism and destruction, the statement said.
The governor and interior minister also expressed concern over the worsening law and order situation in the province and the situation surrounding the PTI long march.
The two officials also discussed concerns over the alleged facilitation of terrorists to pass through security checkpoints during the long march.
According to the statement, the governor and interior minister said the use of an official helicopter and government resources during the long march would constitute a violation of court decisions.
The statement said the Governor House would play its full constitutional role if President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif consider governor’s rule or an emergency necessary in the province. –Agencies
