Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted an 11-member panel to monitor governance, law and order, and day-to-day affairs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will head the committee as its convener, according to sources cited in the report.
Who is on the panel
The committee includes senior federal figures: Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
The Pakistan Peoples Party, the Balochistan Awami Party and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party — the PML-N’s allied parties at the Centre — will each have one representative on the committee.
The composition gives the federal government a direct oversight mechanism for a province that is now under emergency rule, with representation spanning the ruling coalition.
Why the 11-member panel will monitor K-P
On Sunday, the federal government took control of K-P’s affairs after imposing an emergency and governor’s rule in the province. The army was deployed to assist the civil administration, an 11-member advisory council was formed, and a special administrative structure was put in place for 12 districts.
The emergency followed months of strained relations between the federal government and the PTI-led provincial administration, centred on counterterrorism policy and engagement with the Afghan Taliban.
As Feature Pakistan reported, the government has tied the move to counterterrorism cooperation rather than the PTI’s long march, while the PTI has rejected the imposition as unconstitutional. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had earlier called governor’s rule a “last option” for the province.
The question of whether the emergency was linked to the PTI’s march was first raised when Tariq Fazal distanced it from the protest movement earlier this month.
Tuesday’s huddle
The prime minister has summoned a meeting of the parliamentary parties of the PML-N and its coalition partners for Tuesday (today) to take them into confidence over the imposition of governor’s rule and the emergency in K-P.
According to Express News, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will brief the participants on the security situation, while Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar will explain the legal aspects of the decisions. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry will brief them on the agenda for the parliamentary session.
The briefing lineup suggests the government wants both the security rationale and the constitutional basis of the move explained to its own ranks before the matter reaches parliament.
The K-P picture
The monitoring committee will operate alongside the structures already put in place since Sunday. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has been holding security meetings with the provincial setup, with counterterrorism declared the top priority.
With an emergency in force, a governor’s administration in place, and now a federal monitoring committee watching day-to-day affairs, K-P is under the closest central oversight it has seen in years. How long that arrangement lasts — and whether it eases or deepens the Centre’s confrontation with the PTI — will define the province’s politics in the weeks ahead.
FAQs
Who heads the new K-P monitoring committee?
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, appointed convener by PM Shehbaz Sharif.
Who are the members?
Rana Sanaullah, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, plus one representative each from the PPP, BAP and IPP.
What will the committee do?
Oversee governance, law and order, and day-to-day affairs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Why was it formed?
Days after the federal government imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in K-P, deploying the army and setting up a special administrative structure for 12 districts.
What happens on Tuesday?
The PM has summoned PML-N and coalition parliamentary parties; Naqvi will brief on security and Tarar on the legal aspects of the emergency.
