Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary party meeting at Parliament House in Islamabad to discuss provincial priorities.
Sharif told the party leadership that residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have endured years of developmental neglect. He urged the provincial leadership of the PML-N to focus on short-term public welfare projects.
The Prime Minister stated, "Pakistan suffered enormous human and economic losses in the war against terrorism." According to the Ministry of Interior, security forces neutralised 2,410 terrorists during 5,143 intelligence-based operations in the first nine months of 2026.
Sharif claimed that political slogans and divisive politics took precedence over public service, leaving problems in Peshawar, Kohistan, Hazara, and the southern districts unaddressed. He alleged that terrorists were brought back from Afghanistan and resettled in Pakistan during 2019 and 2020.
The Prime Minister noted that a 2014 sit-in caused the postponement of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan. Sharif said Chinese President Xi Jinping eventually visited Pakistan in 2015 and signed several important agreements. He stated that an additional 1% of resources were allocated to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the 2010 National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
Sharif added that the province received Rs800 billion under that award. He pointed out that approximately 5,000 vacant police positions remained unfilled. Sharif defended the decision to impose an emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stating it was necessary due to unavoidable circumstances.
He noted that committees representing the Pakistan Peoples Party and the PML-N held discussions for 48 hours. Sharif mentioned a fuel subsidy scheme allocated for Rs75 billion benefited around 13 million people.
