Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the latter’s residence in Lahore, where the country’s overall security landscape — and in particular the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — came under detailed review, Dunya News reported.
Province Accused of Reversing Course in Final Talks
According to sources, Naqvi briefed the prime minister on negotiations held with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, stating that the provincial administration had initially agreed to sign a written agreement and submit an implementation plan within 72 hours.
The interior minister told the prime minister, however, that the KP government decided to back out of the agreed points during the final stage of negotiations. He added that the province had also consented to reconsider the Police Act 2026, only to reverse its position.
Key Points of the Proposed Agreement
Naqvi outlined the commitments that had been reached during the talks:
- Keeping police and security matters free from political interference.
- Preventing terrorists from operating freely or establishing safe havens in the province.
- An unequivocal condemnation of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) and all other terrorist groups.
- Support for the national policy on the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
- Dismantling Afghan refugee camps in the province.
- No provincial-level contact with the interim Afghan government.
- Allocating adequate funds for counterterrorism operations and the police.
- Taking full responsibility for counterterrorism measures and strengthening cooperation with the armed forces.
- Implementing key counterterrorism decisions in the former FATA and merged districts.
- Effective implementation of the National Action Plan.
Security Cannot Become a Political Football
The interior minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was currently facing an extremely serious security situation and warned that security matters could not be allowed to become a subject of politics.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said decisions taken to improve the law and order situation must be implemented strictly. He stated that no one could be allowed to undermine peace in the country or any province, adding that the state’s position against terrorism was clear and that there would be no compromise on peace and security.
Future Strategy Under Review
The meeting also discussed the future strategy for maintaining law and order and tackling terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Possible measures concerning the province were reviewed, while different options and the way forward were considered to restore peace and ensure the writ of the state.
