Pakistan PM meets chief of Khan-led party's province, discuss security and governance

The chief minister of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province met Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday to discuss security, development and provincial issues, officials said.

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the meeting focused exclusively on governance, counterterrorism cooperation and development matters.

“There was no political dialogue with the prime minister,” Afridi told reporters after the meeting.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had personally invited him for the talks.

Afridi said he also conveyed condolences to the prime minister over a recent deadly incident in Balochistan.

“Wherever terrorism occurs, we condemn it unequivocally,” Afridi said, calling terrorism a national issue that requires a collective response.

He said the two sides discussed devising a joint strategy to counter militancy across the country.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also present during the meeting, underscoring the focus on internal security.

The talks come amid heightened security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a volatile province bordering Afghanistan that has seen repeated militant violence.

Afridi said detailed discussions were held on issues facing the province, particularly the merged tribal districts along the Afghan border.

He said the KP government has spent PKR 26 billion on development projects in those districts so far.

According to Afridi, the prime minister directed Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and other relevant officials to take steps to address the province’s concerns.

He said Shehbaz also instructed Ahsan Iqbal to hold a meeting the same day with KP Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam to discuss funding and development matters.

Afridi said issues related to the National Finance Commission Award and provincial funding were also raised during the meeting.

He expressed hope that further meetings with the prime minister would take place to continue discussions on these matters.

Rejecting speculation, Afridi said there was no discussion regarding the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the party that governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“There was no political dialogue with the prime minister,” he reiterated.

Responding to criticism over funds, Afridi said references to PKR 4 billion ignored what he described as a PKR 5,300 billion charge sheet against critics.

He said the sacrifices being made by residents of Tirah, Kurram and Bajaur for peace could not be measured in monetary terms.

“People are laying down their lives for peace; four billion rupees is nothing compared to their sacrifices,” he said.

The meeting comes as residents of Tirah Valley, a remote region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan, have reportedly fled their homes amid fears of a planned military operation against militants.

Authorities have said any action would target the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which has carried out attacks on security forces and civilians.

Earlier, the federal government described the movement of people from Tirah as routine seasonal migration and denied any military operation.

Afridi has rejected that explanation, calling it misleading.

Asked about meeting the PTI founder, Afridi said he would not do so.

“Meetings with him are designated for lawyers and family members only,” he said, adding that Monday’s meeting with the prime minister was a requirement of the office he holds.