Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Apex Committee has directed all departments to take effective, decisive, and coordinated actions to root out terrorism and establish durable peace in the province. The committee issued the directives at a meeting held in Peshawar, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in the chair, alongside Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
At the outset, the meeting paid tribute to the brave martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty for maintaining peace. The meeting reviewed in detail the overall security situation in the province and measures required to completely eradicate terrorism and establish sustainable peace across the region.
The meeting decided to pay special attention to long-standing issues faced by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa related to education, health, and quality of life, and improving socio-economic development in underdeveloped and terrorism-affected areas. Officials noted that uplifting these regions is vital for long-term stability.
Underscoring the need to enhance the operational capacity of the police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), the forum decided to upgrade these institutions with modern, effective logistics and the required manpower to counter emerging threats effectively. The forum made it clear that intelligence-based operations against terrorism will continue unabated and all available resources will be utilised to improve the law and order situation.
The administration stressed that no compromise would be made on the writ of the state. The forum reiterated the resolve that eradicating terrorism and establishing law and order in the province are the shared objective and top priority of all state institutions, for which they will continue their coordinated efforts without any external or internal pressure.
The meeting was held after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa entered a new administrative setup following President Asif Ali Zardari's imposition of emergency and governor's rule, effectively sidelining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government amid escalating security challenges. The president approved and signed the summary on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, following formal recommendations by the federal cabinet and detailed reports on the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the province.
The move has fundamentally changed how Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be governed for the duration of the emergency: Governor Faisal Karim Kundi will exercise the provincial government's functions on behalf of the federation, assisted by an 11-member advisory council. Furthermore, Parliament will exercise the provincial assembly's legislative powers during this interim period.
The presidential proclamation states that the chief minister, provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, and advocate general cease to hold office, though the provincial assembly itself has not been dissolved.