Advisory Council Formed To Run K-P Affairs

The federal government has formed an 11-member advisory council to oversee administrative affairs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the imposition of emergency and governor rule in the province. The move places Governor Faisal Karim Kundi at the centre of the new administrative arrangement, with the council assigned to assist him in running provincial affairs on behalf of the federal government.

The decision follows the approval of emergency and governor rule by President Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The federal cabinet had earlier backed the recommendation, citing the law and order situation and security concerns in the province.

According to the federal order, the governor will perform the functions of the provincial government under the new framework. The advisory council includes Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Dr Aamir Abdullah, retired Lieutenant General Nigar Johar, Samar Bilour, Dr Sarfaraz Ali, Aamir Javed, Dr M Irshad, Kefayatullah, Tayyab Qureshi, Usman Saifullah Khan and Asif Rafiq.

The federal government has also appointed Sanaullah Advocate as the advocate general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The order states that provincial affairs will be conducted under relevant constitutional provisions and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Rules of Business, 1985, as long as they remain consistent with the federal directive.

A separate order also calls for the immediate establishment of an Area Development Secretariat in 12 designated districts. The stated purpose is to improve law and order, public safety, governance and development in areas considered most affected by security challenges.

The designated districts include Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan. The new arrangement will operate under an Area Representative and Development Council, which will include prominent figures from the designated districts.

Under the federal directive, the Area Development Secretariat will be headed by the additional chief secretary for the designated districts, who will also serve as administrator. Provincial government officers and personnel from other agencies deployed in those areas will come under the administrative and operational control of the secretariat.

The administrator will have wide powers over administrative, managerial and law enforcement matters in the designated districts. The order also authorises the administrator to issue directives to civil administration, police and military authorities, create governance and security structures, oversee departments and manage allocation or transfer of funds.

The development marks a major restructuring of authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the emergency decision. With the advisory council and district-level secretariat now notified, the federal government is moving quickly to build a parallel administrative structure aimed at restoring security and tightening governance in the province’s most sensitive areas.