PESHAWAR: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider said Friday he will discuss “ban” on wheat supply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Addressing a joint press conference with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi at the Governor’s House here, Punjab had always played the role of an elder brother and will continue to do so in the current circumstances.
He said this was his first visit to Peshawar and that he sought to strengthen ties between provinces.
He added that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had always believed in democracy and resolving political issues through dialogue.
Referring to inter-provincial cooperation, he said that just as Punjab benefits from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s electricity, gas, and tobacco, the latter depends on Punjab for wheat supply, and he pledged to discuss the issue with the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Responding to a question, Saleem Haider said the PPP’s alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was for the sake of the country.
“Nothing is above Pakistan. We must all play our collective role in steering the nation out of difficulties,” he said, adding that credit for the 26th Constitutional Amendment went to the PPP, while discussions on a 27th Amendment had not yet taken place.
Governor Kundi reiterated his willingness to play the role of a bridge between the provincial and federal governments.
“All political forces should unite in defending the rights and resources of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through dialogue and reason,” he said.
The KP governor welcomed his counterpart from Punjab and thanked him for the visit.
Kundi emphasized that peace was essential for the province’s prosperity and development, asserting that the ongoing operations against terrorists were intelligence-based and targeted.
He said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi should attend meetings with Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif to ensure that the province’s stance was effectively presented. “The provincial government should set aside political differences and sit with the federation to discuss public issues, particularly the National Finance Commission Award,” he added.
Kundi said he had taken up the issue of the Pak-Afghan border closure with federal ministers and hoped it would reopen soon, as the closure was severely affecting traders and causing perishable goods to rot on both sides.
He warned that the security situation in the southern and merged districts was deteriorating, with daily casualties among police, army, and Frontier Corps personnel.
“Afghans are involved in more than half of the recent terrorist incidents, including the DI Khan Police Training School attack. If they do not leave the area, targeted and intelligence-based operations should be conducted to restore peace,” he stressed.
The governor said he had already discussed wheat supply from Punjab with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and had requested Governor Saleem Haider to raise the matter with her again to facilitate inter-provincial coordination.