K-P Power Tussle Deepens: Governor Chairs Security Meet as CM Calls Emergency Cabinet Session
K-P Power Tussle Deepens: Governor Chairs Security Meet as CM Calls Emergency Cabinet Session
The standoff between Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s governor and chief minister sharpened on Tuesday after Governor Faisal Karim Kundi chaired a high-level meeting on the province’s security and the PTI long march. Hours later, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi summoned an emergency provincial cabinet meeting for Wednesday morning, pointedly expressing concern over the governor’s move.
The K-P governor meeting came amid speculation over a possible emergency or direct federal rule in the province, where the PTI government and the federation have been locked in a confrontation over the long march, law and order, and the province’s finances.
What happened at the K-P governor meeting
Kundi went beyond his largely ceremonial constitutional role to chair a meeting on the province’s overall security situation and the PTI long march. He stressed strengthening the operational capacity of the police, the Counter-Terrorism Department and other law enforcement agencies.
The meeting drew the province’s top security brass. Those present included Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, Additional Chief Secretary Home Ikramullah Khan, Additional IG Special Branch Muhammad Kashif Alam, Joint DG Intelligence Bureau Arshad Ali Khan, the Additional IG CTD, DIG Operations Shakir Hussain Dawar and other senior officials. They briefed the governor on the security situation, counter-terrorism efforts, public order and the latest crime figures.
Kundi’s move is significant because the governor does not normally run security policy. His decision to convene the province’s police and intelligence leadership directly was read in Peshawar as an assertion of authority at a moment when the federation and the provincial government are barely on speaking terms.
Afridi hits back with emergency cabinet session
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi responded late on Tuesday night, while he was with the long march, by summoning an emergency meeting of the provincial cabinet for Wednesday morning. He expressed concern over the governor’s decision to convene a meeting on the law-and-order situation. No agenda was issued for the cabinet session.
Afridi made clear the long march would continue as scheduled. He is expected to attend the march after the cabinet meeting. The march has already changed route once, heading to Khyber first before moving towards Peshawar and eventually Islamabad.
A province caught between two centres of power
The exchange captures K-P’s unusual position. The PTI runs the provincial government while the PML-N-led federation controls Islamabad, and the two have clashed repeatedly over the march, security operations and funds. The governor, a PPP nominee, has warned in recent days that an emergency could be imposed in the province if needed, a statement the PTI government rejected.
Kundi’s security meeting and Afridi’s emergency cabinet session show both sides digging in. For now, the province has two parallel centres of power issuing directions on law and order, a situation that cannot hold for long.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the K-P governor chair a security meeting?
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi chaired a high-level meeting on the province’s security and the PTI long march, with the police and intelligence leadership in attendance, amid speculation over a possible emergency in the province.
How did the chief minister respond?
CM Sohail Afridi summoned an emergency provincial cabinet meeting for Wednesday morning and expressed concern over the governor’s decision to convene a law-and-order meeting. No agenda was issued.
Will the PTI long march continue?
Yes. The chief minister said the march would continue as scheduled, and he plans to attend it after the cabinet meeting.
Who attended the governor’s meeting?
Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, IGP Zulfiqar Hameed, the Additional Chief Secretary Home, the Additional IG Special Branch, the Joint DG Intelligence Bureau, the Additional IG CTD, DIG Operations Shakir Hussain Dawar and other senior officials.
