Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday lamented the poor performance of the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, particularly in fighting terrorism, and contended that the Centre had no other “path” but to impose governor’s rule in the province.
asserted
Centre → lament → province
Addressing a parliamentary meeting of his PML-N, PM Shehbaz said, “When terrorism is spreading, sacrifices are being made day and night, and this party (PTI) is exhausting all its resources and time round the clock to create instability.”
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party → address → instability
The premier emphasised that the people of KP had been “thirsting for projects of development and prosperity for the past 13 years”, such as schools, universities, hospitals, better law and order, end to corruption.
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people → emphasise → corruption
However, he contended, there was “not zero, but negative attention” towards these matters, and “all attention and resources” were instead diverted towards long marches and protests.
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attention → contend → marches
“Can any respectable society tolerate this?
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society → tolerate → this
Even the question does not arise.
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question → arise → ?
So what other path did we have?” he asked, quipping if the Centre should have remained as “silent spectators”.
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Centre → have → spectators
PM Shehbaz asserted that terrorism had been eradicated in most parts of the country several years ago, but had resurged recently.
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terrorism → assert → country
The prime minister lamented that law enforcers were being martyred daily in KP and Balochistan.
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enforcers → lament → KP
“If this bloodshed is not brought to an end like it was in 2018, then the journey of development made in the past 2.5 years…
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it → bring → years
this journey is continuing gradually.”
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journey → continue → ?
“If one provincial government is not only determined to end that journey […] but that party is determined on destruction and comes to thinking that if they make progress, what will be our value; how regrettable it is.”
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it → end → progress
The prime minister recalled the November 2024 protests by the PTI in Islamabad, as well as its 2013 and 2014 rallies at the federal capital’s D-Chowk.
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minister → recall → Chowk
“When someone is bent on ending the country’s progress, they are engaged in sit-ins, verbal abuse and allegations, instead of standing with the Centre and the armed forces and empowering the police and CTD,” he said.
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he → bend → police
PM Shehbaz remarked that even an enemy would not make the remarks made by Afridi in recent weeks.
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enemy → remark → weeks
He criticised the PTI leader for not expressing sympathies with the martyrs’ families and for “not willing to say a single word” against terrorists.
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He → criticise → terrorists
He highlighted his government’s efforts to cooperate with the PTI-led governments in KP.
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He → highlight → KP
The premier recalled his meeting with former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, saying, “We told him in every way that we will cooperate with them … combatting terrorism is our shared responsibility.”
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combatting → recall → terrorism
He noted that he had also met with Sohail Afridi — whose role as the KP CM is currently non-functional due to governor’s rule — and asserted that the Centre tried its best to work with the KP government.
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Centre → note → government
At one point, the premier said International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva recently told him, “This is a new Pakistan”, as she praised the country’s economic reforms.
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she → say → reforms
He recalled his meetings last month with international financial institutions and stressed that praise from such independent firms for Pakistan “restored” his faith in the country’s progress.
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praise → recall → progress
PM takes parties into confidence
Earlier in the day, PM Shehbaz met with a parliamentary delegation comprising representatives of PML-Q, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) and PML-Zia.
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Shehbaz → take → Q
The prime minister took the delegation into confidence regarding the situation in KP and explained the reasons behind the federal government’s decision to take constitutional measures, state-run APP reported.
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APP → take → measures
He said the conduct of the PTI-led KP government in the province and its failure to adopt an unequivocal stance against terrorism had posed risks to Pakistan’s growing economy.
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conduct → say → economy
The premier highlighted that the federal government had provided more than Rs800 billion to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) arrangements to support efforts against terrorism.
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government → highlight → terrorism
However, he said, the provincial government had failed to take effective measures to strengthen the capacity of its Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and establish Safe City projects to improve its counterterrorism capabilities.
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government → say → capabilities
According to the PM Office, the parliamentary delegation expressed its support for the federal government amid the prevailing situation and appreciated the prime minister’s leadership during what it described as difficult circumstances.
The delegation also said the people of KP had remained deprived of adequate development in health, education and infrastructure during the PTI’s tenure in the province.
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people → accord → province
It expressed confidence that, with the federal government’s cooperation, development and prosperity in KP would advance in line with other parts of the country.
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development → express → country
The delegation included BAP President and Science and Technology Minister Khalid Magsi; former Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani of BAP, senators Manzoor Kakar, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Dinesh Kumar and Samina Mumtaz Zehri; PML-Q President and Human Resource Development Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain; and representatives of the IPP and PML-Zia.
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delegation → include → IPP
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also attended the meeting.
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Dar → attend → meeting
PTI seeks production orders for 9 MNAs
The PTI requested the National Assembly speaker to issue production orders for its nine “detained” MNAs ahead of NA and Senate sessions on Tuesday.
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PTI → seek → Tuesday
In a letter to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Chief Whip Amir Dogar claimed that the nine MNAs were “currently detained” and requested him to issue production orders for them to enable them to attend the 30th session starting today.
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MNAs → claim → session
The lawmakers comprised Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Choudhry (ΝΑ-68), Muhammad Jamal Ahsan Khan (NA-89), Mian Ghous Muhammad (ΝΑ-170), Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel (NΑ-91), Dawar Khan Kundi (NA-43), Junaid Akbar (NA-09), Amjad Ali Khan (NA-02), Fazal Muhammad Khan (ΝΑ-25) and Adil Khan Bazai (NA-262).
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lawmakers → comprise → Choudhry
“As the speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the impartiality of your esteemed office requires that production orders be issued for all detained members, irrespective of their political affiliation, to ensure that no constituency remains unrepresented during the proceedings of the House,” the letter read.
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letter → require → House
It requested Sadiq to issue the production orders under Rule 108 of the 2007 Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly.
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It → request → Assembly
When the NA session began at around 7pm, Speaker Sadiq administered the oath of membership to PML-N’s Malik Munir Iqbal Channar, who won the Bahawalpur polls last month held to fill the seat of his late father Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.
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who → begin → father
Lawmakers then offered prayers for late MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, who died last month after a prolonged illness.
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who → offer → illness
As MNAs from various parties took their turns to recall the services of Virk, there was slight commotion, which prompted the speaker to urge PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan to respect the late MNA.
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which → take → MNA
Gohar remarked that sessions are usually adjourned after prayers for a deceased member.
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sessions → remark → member
Referring to the governor’s rule in KP, he said the “funeral of this house was also held on Oct 11”.
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funeral → refer → Oct
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
