On June 17, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur rejected the federal Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), terming it an attack on the freedom of press and expression. He made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), led by its newly-elected president Kazim Khan.
The chief minister stated that his government would not accept any legislation that curtailed freedom of expression. He assured the CPNE delegation that no cases would be registered under PECA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said that no action under this law would be tolerated in the province. “Criticism and questioning are fundamental roles of the media, and we welcome criticism and will use it as an opportunity for improvement,” he remarked.
During the meeting, the KP chief minister also criticised a draft law recently introduced by the Punjab government titled “Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information.” He questioned the legitimacy of the bill, claiming it was originally framed during the caretaker setup. Gandapur said that Punjab must clarify whether a caretaker government was still operating and called the bill a violation of Islamic values and freedom of expression.
Highlighting the provincial government’s financial policies, Gandapur said that strict fiscal discipline had allowed the establishment of a Debt Management Fund with an investment of Rs150 billion in the current fiscal year. Another Rs150 billion will be added in the next fiscal year, which he claimed would generate significant profits for the province.
Regarding development progress, the chief minister said the throw-forward of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) had been brought down from 13.5 years to four years. He noted that the provincial government had completed 541 development projects in the past year and prioritised ongoing schemes over launching new ones. Rs195 billion has been allocated for the next fiscal year’s ADP, which is planned to increase to Rs250 billion.
Gandapur also reiterated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s stance on former prime minister Imran Khan, describing him as a political prisoner. He said the party would continue its movement for Khan’s release and claimed that the PTI founder’s narrative enjoyed widespread public support. PTI leaders including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and Omar Ayub were also present at the meeting.
