Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has defended the imposition of governor's rule and emergency measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), saying the decision was unavoidable and that delay could have caused greater damage to the province. Addressing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary party and office-bearers from KP on Saturday, 31 October 2026, he said efforts to resolve the situation through negotiation had been tried first.

Shehbaz said committees representing the Pakistan Peoples Party and the PML-N had held discussions for 48 hours, and that a draft agreement had been prepared, but final approval did not come. He criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's 13-year rule in the province, questioning how Rs800 billion provided under National Finance Commission arrangements had been spent, and asking how many Safe City projects had been built and how far counter-terrorism departments had been strengthened.

Short-term relief before long-term projects

The prime minister directed PML-N lawmakers in KP to prioritise short-term public welfare initiatives and suspend long-term development projects, saying people who had suffered years of neglect needed immediate measures over the next six months to a year. He named small steps such as improving law and order, building a school and ensuring medicines reach hospitals.

Tribute to KP's sacrifices

Paying tribute to the people of KP, Shehbaz said residents, police, the armed forces and political leaders had made immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He put Pakistan's losses in that fight at approximately 80,000 lives and economic losses estimated at $150 billion to $200 billion, according to The News' report of his remarks. He also said militants had been brought back from Afghanistan and settled in KP in 2019 and 2020, an allegation the previous provincial administration would dispute.