STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR : Deputy Attorney General for Pakistan and President of the Peoples Lawyers Forum, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gohar Rehman Khattak, has said the governor cannot abandon his constitutional responsibilities and is empowered to convene meetings on security and other matters in the province.
Talking to the media in Peshawar, Gohar Khattak said the governor was the federal government’s representative in the province and was constitutionally mandated to discharge his duties under Articles 131, 139 and 149 of the Constitution.
He said police and security personnel were sacrificing their lives in the ongoing fight against terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the chief minister was taking part in a long march by helicopter.
“If the chief minister has left the province, does that mean the governor should also leave it?” he questioned, adding that the governor could not step away from his constitutional responsibilities at a time when the province was facing serious security challenges.
On the possibility of governor’s rule, the Deputy Attorney General said it was a constitutional provision and was not barred under the Constitution. However, he added that any such step would have to be taken strictly in accordance with constitutional requirements.
Gohar Khattak said the federal government was prepared for the imposition of governor’s rule, but the Pakistan Peoples Party and President of Pakistan were currently of the opinion that such a step should not be taken.
“If the provincial government does not mend its ways, governor’s rule will ultimately be the last option,” he warned.
Commenting on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s protest activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he questioned the logic of staging a long march in a province where the party itself was in government.
“What kind of long march is this that starts in the afternoon, passes through crowded markets and is then postponed until the next day when there are fewer people on the streets?” he asked.
He alleged that the protesters were deliberately prolonging the march to avoid confronting the situation and stressed that the protection of citizens’ lives and maintenance of law and order should remain the foremost responsibility of the provincial government.
Gohar Khattak said political activities were a democratic right, but they should not be allowed to undermine public safety or distract the authorities from the province’s ongoing security challenges.
