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PESHAWAR: A multi-party conference (MPC) on Thursday expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and noted that federal and provincial governments have apparently failed to address the challenges effectively.
The forum decided to form a political and technical committee to safeguard the province’s financial and political interests.
The ruling PTI skipped the moot, which was attended by the representatives of major political parties including the PPP, JUI-F, ANP, PML-N, QWP, JI and others.
“We extended an invitation to PTI but perhaps they are unable to talk about peace,” Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said, assailing the party for its ‘violent rhetoric’.
A declaration issued after the conference, held at the Governor House in Peshawar, revealed that over 70 security personnel were martyred in 2024, with more than 200 lives lost in armed clashes in Kurram district.
The declaration regretted that the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) award had been inactive for almost two and a half years and demanded that the 11th NFC be issued immediately.
It sought the immediate release of the 3 per cent share allocated for merged districts, pending for five years, and urged compliance with the Sartaj Aziz Committee’s recommendations.
The declaration called for an NFC formula reflecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s population and natural resources, including forests and environmental factors.
It also demanded transparency in mining leases and the reopening of all trade routes with Afghanistan.
The MPC asked the federal government to prioritise gas supply to KP under Article 158 of the Constitution and ensure the payment of Net Hydel Profit and the federal excise duty on oil to the province as outlined in Article 161.
“Meetings of the Council of Common Interests should be convened regularly as per the constitutional period,” the declaration said, adding that the KP government should form the provincial finance commission to distribute resources fairly.
An effective local government system with non-discriminatory funding was also emphasised, alongside a demand to abolish the 2pc Infrastructure Development Cess, which has reportedly hindered Afghan trade.
The declaration stressed the need for repatriating internally displaced persons with dignity and called for an end to harassment of peaceful Pakhtuns in other provinces and Islamabad.
The conference also urged a performance audit of the provincial government to ensure accountability.
Governor Kundi, who called the MPC, said on the occasion that the declaration would be tabled in the provincial assembly and shared with the federal government.
“The presence of political leadership in the MPC proves that we are all united over the issues being faced by the province,” the governor said, adding that the “ruling party’s provincial president should also have been here”.
He called for unity among political parties to address Kurram’s deteriorating situation and proposed holding a similar MPC at the Chief Minister’s House.
Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Amir Maqam underlined the province’s need for support in combating terrorism, asserting that KP’s demands must be met.
He criticised PTI’s governance and said the party had the mandate of people “but failed to utilise it effectively.”
ANP’s Mian Iftikhar Hussain alleged that militancy had become a lucrative enterprise and questioned why militants were trained and who brought 40,000 militants back from Afghanistan.
“The province has been handed over to militants, and sectarian conflicts are being fuelled,” he claimed. “We face threats when we talk about natural resources.”
National Democratic Movement leader Mohsin Dawar said they wanted a good relationship between the Centre and the province, adding that multiple issues should be resolved according to the 18th constitutional amendment.
JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman highlighted law and order, economic instability and political uncertainty as major challenges, urging parliament’s supremacy in tackling militancy.
He said billions of the rupees meant for the merged districts were yet to be paid and questioned how militancy could be controlled if trade routes remained closed.
Former KP chief minister and Qaumi Watan Party leader Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said law enforcement agencies and the federal and provincial governments should go beyond politics to play their role, expressing concerns over rising militancy in southern KP districts.
Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024
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