Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Kundi launched a scathing attack on CM Ali Amin Gandapur questioning whether the latter would prioritise passing the 'controversial' Mines and Minerals Bill or focus on securing his position.
While addressing the media in Peshawar on Saturday, the governor accused the provincial administration of widespread corruption, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in KP had turned into a hub of internal conflict and mismanagement.
“Ali Amin Gandapur is fulfilling the tasks given by Islamabad like an obedient child,” said Governor Kundi. “Let us see whether he passes the Mines and Minerals Bill or chooses to save his job.”
The remarks come amid increasing tension between the Governor’s House and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, as well as criticism from within PTI ranks over alleged financial mismanagement and governance failures.
The governor claimed that all provincial institutions and ministers were involved in corrupt practices, while the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) remained a silent spectator. “Even when I wasn’t the governor, I had been saying that corruption was rampant in the province. Jobs were being sold and public resources looted,” he added.
He further alleged that provincial tax money had been misused to finance PTI’s political rallies. “Even PTI ministers are now pointing fingers at each other. One of their own finance ministers has claimed that all the development funds were spent on public gatherings,” said Mr Kundi.
He questioned why the provincial government was not engaging in dialogue over the Mines and Minerals Bill. “Instead of wasting money on luxuries in Lahore, the Chief Minister should sit with other political parties and discuss the bill,” the governor stressed.
Governor Kundi also criticized the PTI-led government for its alleged inability to maintain law and order. “The security situation in KP is deteriorating. The Chief Minister himself has said that his former cabinet members are thieves,” he remarked, adding that despite such grave accusations, accountability institutions such as NAB and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) remained inactive.
Referring to recent comments by senior PTI leader Azam Swati, the governor said: “Swati swore on the Holy Quran, saying he was asked to contact the establishment. Is this how governance works?”
He also questioned the foreign engagement strategy of the provincial government. “You go to Afghanistan for development talks but never to China. Why?”
The governor expressed concern over the federal government’s absence from the province. “The Deputy Prime Minister is in Afghanistan. But our own Prime Minister has not visited Peshawar. Is he waiting for a tragedy to occur before he shows up?” he asked.
Calling on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit the provincial capital, Kundi said: “It seems as though KP has been handed to PTI on a contract.”
He urged the KP Chief Minister to abandon his policy of non-engagement with other political stakeholders. “You can’t even build a 25-kilometre road in Kurram, yet you talk about marching on Islamabad,” he added.
