K-P CM calls governor’s meeting an attack on Constitution, says will not allow ‘any conspiracy to break up Pakistan’
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi addresses a provincial cabinet meeting in Peshawar on Wednesday. SCREENGRAB
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday condemned a security meeting chaired by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, calling it “an attack on the Constitution and democracy” and warning that his government would not allow “any conspiracy to break up Pakistan” to succeed.
“The drama staged by the governor yesterday was extremely regrettable and condemnable. The governor is summoning the chief secretary and inspector general of police and holding unconstitutional meetings. The governor presiding over such a meeting is an attack on the Constitution and democracy,” Afridi said while addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet.
He also accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of prioritising personal interests over national interests, saying the party that had raised slogans about democracy had separated Bangladesh from Pakistan in the past for personal interests.
“The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) played a wrong role in the past as well, and its current actions appear to be an attempt to create another East Pakistan. We will not allow any conspiracy to break up Pakistan to succeed,” he said.
The dispute over Kundi’s role came amid weeks of tension between the federal and provincial governments, with the possibility of governor’s rule or an emergency repeatedly raised over the deteriorating security situation and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned march.
The row further intensified as Kundi expanded his role beyond his constitutional remit, chairing meetings on matters that fall under the provincial government’s authority. Kundi, a day earlier, chaired a high-level meeting to review the province’s overall security situation and assess developments arising from the PTI’s planned long march.
Responding to the matter, Afridi said a provincial government elected with a two-thirds majority was in place in K-P and that the provincial assembly, cabinet and government were “fully functional and intact”.
He said the K-P advocate general would be consulted on the constitutional status of the meeting held on Tuesday.
He added that there was a constitutional procedure for removing a chief minister and that a vote of no-confidence was the mechanism provided for this purpose.
“We will not allow anyone to launch an attack on democracy. The governor has acted unconstitutionally,” he affirmed.
Afridi said the governor’s activities were aimed at provoking the provincial government and forcing it to respond in a manner that could further deteriorate the situation.
Security situation
Turning to the security situation, Afridi said conditions in K-P had continuously worsened after terrorism was “imposed” on the province again.
He said PTI founder Imran Khan and his government had always supported the K-P police and people, adding that since taking the oath on October 15, 2025, his administration had continuously strengthened the police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch. “The K-P police have the most modern weapons and equipment compared with any other police force in Pakistan,” he said.
Afridi said extensive investment and measures were being taken to strengthen CTD infrastructure and the Special Branch.
He also criticised the federal government over its treatment of K-P, saying it had “always treated K-P like a stepchild”.
Read more: CM Afridi urges PTI workers to join long march as convoy enters Kohat
“The tribal districts were merged with K-P in 2018 but had still not been fully integrated financially,” he said, adding that the financial rights agreed upon at the time of the merger had not been provided.
Afridi said the federal government had continuously imposed military operations on K-P since 2024, while people displaced by its “wrong policies” remained without full compensation. “Around Rs100 billion in compensation for victims of the tribal districts remains outstanding,” he added.
The chief minister said people whose homes had been destroyed, families affected and mosques demolished were still “wandering from pillar to post” for compensation.
Afridi said tribal families who had sacrificed for Pakistan had been allocated only Rs400,000 per household. “The wives of people in power carry handbags worth tens of millions of rupees, but tribal families who have made sacrifices have not even been given Rs400,000,” he added.
He said a commitment had been made to provide between Rs370 million and Rs380 million per month to people displaced from North Waziristan and residing at the Bakakhel camp, but the promised amount was still not being paid.
“It is the provincial government’s responsibility to stand with people displaced by the federal government’s wrong policies,” Afridi said, adding that his government had provided Rs21 billion for displaced people since taking over.
Afridi said the provincial government also had to bear responsibility for losses caused by military operations and drone strikes. “Those making decisions while sitting in the federal government do not realise the difficulties faced by the people as a result of those decisions,” he said.
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The chief minister said that if the federal government was sincere with K-P, it should increase the province’s National Finance Commission share and pay around Rs1.25 billion in outstanding dues to a province that had sacrificed 80,000 lives. “We have to fight terrorism as well as deal with conditions created by the federal government’s wrong policies,” he added.
Calls for policy change
Afridi said the K-P government and police were serious about maintaining law and order, but criticised the practice of assigning police personnel duties unrelated to their responsibilities. “Turning the police into personal servants and assigning them other tasks is wrong,” he said.
He claimed that peace could be restored within 100 days if the policies advocated by K-P’s stakeholders were followed. “Peace could not be established despite 14,000 intelligence-based operations and 22 major military operations over 22 years,” he added.
He said the failure to establish peace despite the loss of 80,000 lives over two decades represented a failure of federal policy. “The security problem still exists in K-P after 22 years. If the federal government is serious, it should change its policy against terrorism,” he said.
Afridi rejected the argument that K-P was not cooperating with the federal government, citing Balochistan as an example. “The Balochistan government is cooperating with the federal government, but peace has still not been established there,” he said.
“The federal government’s current policy is neither effective in K-P nor in Balochistan. A policy change is necessary, and K-P can demonstrate that peace can be established within 100 days,” he added.
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Afridi also referred to recent incidents involving provincial officials and PTI workers, saying provincial minister Fazal Shakoor Khan had been “picked up” despite being a member of the provincial cabinet, while party workers had been injured in Waziristan.
The chief minister alleged that such measures were intended to provoke the provincial government and force it to issue statements that could worsen the situation.
“We will remain peaceful and speak only about the Constitution and the law,” he said. “I am a soldier of Imran, and he has trained us throughout our lives not to engage in unconstitutional or illegal acts.”
Afridi directed the inspector general and chief secretary not to comply with any unconstitutional or illegal order.
The chief minister also praised the police and administration for their role in combating terrorism, saying they had made “countless sacrifices” and helped move the province away from a period marked by ammunition attacks and suicide bombings towards peace.
He said action should be taken against officials responsible if police in South Waziristan and Upper Waziristan had fired at people while acting as “anyone’s personal servants”.
Afridi also ordered an immediate inquiry against the Station House Officer (SHO) of Lachi, alleging that the officer had behaved like a “goon rather than a police officer”.
He called for an investigation into allegations that the Lachi SHO had taken money from people at gunpoint and demanded that the officer be removed from his post.
