‘Who will run the province?’ Kundi asks K-P CM to focus on governance instead of Adiala

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday advised Chief Minister Suhail Afridi to focus on the province’s issues and governance rather than Adiala Jail, saying the province’s affairs should take precedence over political protests.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stages protests every Tuesday and Thursday against the imprisonment of its founding chairman and the alleged difficulties he faces in custody. CM Afridi, like other PTI leaders, has remained actively involved in these demonstrations.

Speaking to journalists after meeting the chief minister in Islamabad, Kundi said he had urged Afridi to concentrate on improving the province instead of focusing on Adiala Jail.

“I told the chief minister that he should focus on the betterment of the province rather than Adiala. The legal battle regarding Adiala should be fought by lawyers,” he said. “If you sit outside Adiala five days a week, then who will run the province?” he asked.

The governor further stated that the province was facing governance challenges, corruption issues and law and order problems, all of which required the chief minister’s attention.

He also urged the provincial government to prepare its case regarding financial matters with the federal government through arguments and legal channels rather than confrontational rhetoric. “You should fight your case with logic and arguments. No judge grants bail on the basis of abusive language,” he remarked.

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Referring to the recent security situation in the province, Kundi pointed to incidents in Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur, which occurred within a span of a few days.

He also said the situation along the border with Afghanistan required serious attention. “We have to focus on the province. PTI can assign others to focus on Adiala, while you should act as chief minister and run the government,” he reiterated.

The governor remarked that PTI should separate responsibilities related to governance and jail-related political matters. “In my opinion, there should be two PTIs — one to run the government and another for Adiala,” he added.

Responding to a question, Kundi said Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was his choice for the next prime minister and that his party would make every effort to ensure he assumed the office whenever the next elections were held.

On the issue of gas shortages in the province, the governor questioned the performance of both the federal and provincial governments. He said the federal government had completely suspended gas supply and that he had asked the prime minister and relevant ministers to engage with the province’s CNG Station Association and Flour Mills Association.

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He urged the federal government to restore gas supply to the province and address allegations of bribery at checkpoints affecting wheat transportation. “If Punjab faces difficulties in supplying wheat, then at least provide us transit access so that we can bring wheat from Sindh,” he said.

Kundi warned that people would take to the streets if their economic problems were not resolved. “When people are unable to get bread, when flour becomes expensive, and when there is nobody to listen to them, then people will come out onto the streets,” he said.

Asked whether the Pakistan Peoples Party had been taken into confidence regarding the proposed 28th Amendment, the governor said discussions would begin once a draft was shared with his party. “The day the draft is shared, we will discuss which points are acceptable, which can be amended and which can be dropped,” he said.

Without naming him directly, the governor also criticised former K-P chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, comparing him to Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq. “He was playing on both sides of the wicket, and I had already said that the day PTI realised who among them was acting like Mir Sadiq and Mir Jafar, the party would take action,” he concluded.