According to The Express Tribune, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Peshawar on Thursday for the first time in more than a year and chaired a meeting of the apex committee on the National Action Plan at Governor House, as the government pressed ahead with counter-terrorism efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under governor's rule.
Who attended
The Prime Minister's Office said the meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Amir Muqam, Ahad Cheema, Ali Pervaiz Malik and Awais Leghari, adviser Rana Sanaullah and senior military leaders were also present.
What was agreed
The meeting reviewed the security situation and counter-terrorism measures. Participants agreed to strengthen the police and the Counter Terrorism Department with additional equipment, vehicles, weapons and manpower, and called for coordinated action by relevant institutions to restore peace and improve law and order.
First visit in over a year
The prime minister last visited Peshawar on June 3, 2025, when he addressed a grand jirga of tribal elders. The first provincial apex committee meeting after governor's rule was held at Governor House on October 12, co-chaired by Kundi and Naqvi.
Governor's rule backdrop
On October 11, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the prime minister's advice to impose an emergency and governor's rule in the province under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his cabinet were removed, executive powers passed to the governor, and emergency measures were imposed in 12 districts. The PTI rejected the federal government's position and opposed the move.
Security reports presented to the federal cabinet said terrorist incidents in KP rose 195 per cent between March 1, 2024, and September 23, 2026, and that 73 per cent of attacks in 2026 targeted police and security personnel.