Haseeb Khan: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday passed a majority resolution seeking action against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz under Article 6 of the Constitution over her remarks that Punjab faced greater security threats from neighbouring provinces than from neighbouring countries.
The resolution, moved by Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi during a session chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, was adopted after the house suspended its scheduled agenda to discuss the Punjab chief minister’s statement.
The KP Assembly said the remarks could undermine national unity, create tensions among the provinces and weaken the federation. Lawmakers stressed that terrorism was a national challenge and could only be countered through collective efforts by all provinces and state institutions.
The house also paid tribute to civilians and security personnel who had sacrificed their lives in the fight against terrorism.
Housing Minister Amjad Ali strongly criticised Maryam Nawaz, saying her comments had offended the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and were not merely directed at a political party. He demanded that the Punjab chief minister apologise before the assembly.
Provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan said the remarks could damage Pakistan’s position on terrorism and questioned whether they could be used against the country at international forums.
He also referred to the displacement of people from KP during military operations and criticised the treatment of internally displaced persons in Punjab at the time.
The session later shifted to questions concerning the constitutional responsibilities of key state institutions.
At the speaker’s direction, Law Minister Afridi read out the constitutional oaths of judges, the chief election commissioner and members of the armed forces. Lawmakers subsequently questioned whether the courts, Election Commission of Pakistan and armed forces were fulfilling their respective constitutional obligations.
The speaker asked whether the courts were delivering justice, whether the ECP was performing its duties and whether the armed forces were adhering to their oath, drawing negative responses from lawmakers.
Higher Education Minister Meena Khan said the matter should not be viewed as a dispute involving an individual or political party, arguing that it affected multiple provinces and was linked to the broader fight against terrorism.
ANP lawmaker Muhammad Nisar said KP and Balochistan had borne the brunt of terrorism and questioned why the security situation remained difficult in KP despite comparatively better law and order conditions in Punjab.
PML-N lawmaker Amna Sardar, however, defended Maryam Nawaz and rejected the criticism from the treasury benches.
She said the Punjab chief minister had not referred to Pakhtuns in her original remarks and accused lawmakers of distorting the statement for political purposes.
Sardar maintained that Maryam Nawaz’s comments were being taken out of context and deliberately misrepresented to fuel divisions among the provinces.
