Daily Times

With a heated war of words between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi refusing to ebb away, the downward spiral had become an inevitable reality. After the endless rounds of verbal assaults, during which Mr Kundi, on more than one occasion, tried to bury the hatchet by reminding the chief minister about the myriad of challenges confronting the people of their province, the latter has now turned to the legal avenue to seek retribution.

A notice submitted by Mr Gandapur seeks an unconditional apology over his alleged approval of the launch of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, which flashed across television channels and drew an uproar from the legislature. In the past few months, developments from both sides have been far from ideal, ranging from barring the governor from using the KP House in Islamabad and the CM’s vitriol against any (albeit unfounded) likelihood of governor’s rule in the province so much so that PTI’s founder had to personally intervene to put out a fast-growing political confrontation.

It could have benefitted both men to learn from the chequered past, especially when the bones of contention between Karachi and the federation in the recent past, had drastically affected the performance of their parties.

Back then, the two top office holders in Sindh (Governor Imran Ismail and CM Murad Ali Shah) had tried to lower the political temperatures through an attempt to form a constructive collaboration. However, the need to send out a positive message could not be more strongly felt than in the case of the new counterterrorism strategy.

Only by sitting together and sharing the reservations of their province could the two offices coordinate with the centre. Tensions are already running high as people, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, fear the implications of finding themselves in the crosshairs of militancy. The province deserves more than men in crucial positions stoking their egos at a time when they should prioritise seeking guarantees of their security and their livelihoods from a government getting ready to take the proverbial bull by the horns. *