Amid shifting political winds following the Supreme Court’s verdict on reserved seats, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has ramped up his efforts to engineer a political transition in the province. With federal backing, particularly from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Kundi appears to be laying the groundwork for a potential no-confidence motion against the PTI-led provincial government.
This development has energised the federal coalition, which now has a firmer foothold in the K-P Assembly. Internal consensus is growing that the PTI’s prolonged tenure in the province may have run its course, especially as security conditions deteriorate and public confidence wanes.
Governor Kundi met on Friday with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to brief him on the rapidly evolving situation. The meeting covered key political developments, ongoing outreach to coalition lawmakers, and the implications of the reserved seats decision. Kundi also provided updates on the worsening law and order situation in southern K-P and the government’s underwhelming response to flash floods in Swat, which left multiple casualties.
“In line with your directives,” Kundi told Bilawal, “I visited affected families in Daska and Rustam, Mardan,” noting the inadequate disaster response by the provincial government.
Bilawal to Al Jazeera: India’s New Normal Risks Regional Stability
In a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also took aim at India’s aggressive rhetoric, warning that New Delhi’s posture poses risks not just to Pakistan but to India and the broader region.
“This new ideology is dangerous for both the Pakistani and Indian people,” Bilawal said, referencing India’s recent attempts to globalise its anti-Pakistan narrative.
He rejected accusations of Pakistani involvement in terrorism across the border, asserting, “Pakistan was not involved in the terrorist attacks in India,” and emphasised that Pakistan is itself grappling with a resurgence in domestic terrorism.
On Saeed and Azhar: Extradition Depends on Indian Cooperation
Bilawal expressed conditional openness to extraditing Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Masood Azhar, stating that Pakistan could consider such moves as part of a broader and cooperative dialogue on terrorism.
“Pakistan would not be opposed,” he said, “provided India facilitates judicial processes, including presenting evidence and enabling witnesses to testify.” He added that India’s unwillingness to meet basic legal requirements has so far hindered progress on these fronts.
Saeed, according to Bilawal, is currently serving a 33-year sentence in Pakistan for terror financing. Azhar, however, is believed to be in Afghanistan, not within Pakistani territory.
Bilawal on India’s War Rhetoric: “The New Abnormal”
In one of his more striking comments, Bilawal cautioned against India’s evolving response to terrorism, describing it as a dangerous “new abnormal.”
“Any terrorist incident in India now risks being treated as a justification for war with Pakistan,” he said, warning that such thinking dangerously reduces the threshold for military conflict between two nuclear-armed nations. “This puts the fate of 1.7 billion people in the hands of nameless, faceless non-state actors.”
He called for responsible statecraft, arguing that both countries need to rise above incendiary narratives that risk plunging the region into chaos.
Final Word
The developments reflect a two-pronged strategy by the PPP: intensifying political manoeuvres at home in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while seeking to shape international discourse abroad. As domestic instability and regional tensions mount, both tracks will test the party’s ability to balance realpolitik with diplomatic nuance.
