CM Afridi Urges Inclusion of KP Government in Anti-Terror Policymaking
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday urged the federal government and state institutions to include the KP government in anti-terror policymaking, stressing that counterterrorism operations must have public backing to be effective.
Addressing a convocation ceremony at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University in Peshawar, CM Afridi said that terrorism could not be eliminated through “closed-door decisions” and called for joint policy formulation with the provincial government.
“If you really want to eliminate terrorism, then come and formulate the policy with us,” the chief minister said, adding that decisions taken without consulting KP had once again made life difficult for the people of the province.
His remarks came a day after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership in KP, blaming it for the sharp rise in terrorist incidents in the province.
CM Afridi emphasised that anti-terror operations should only be launched after taking the nation into confidence, recalling that peace was restored in KP after immense hardship and sacrifices. He said the people of the province had repeatedly rendered sacrifices for Pakistan and would continue to do so.
The PTI-backed chief minister also expressed dissatisfaction with the compensation announced by the federal government for citizens whose homes were destroyed during the war on terror, calling it inadequate.
Calling for a shift in the existing counterterrorism strategy, CM Afridi said a new policy must be developed in consultation with the KP government, tribal elders, and other key stakeholders to ensure sustainable peace.
According to an annual report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, KP witnessed the highest surge in militant violence in 2025, with fatalities rising from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025 — an increase of more than 40 percent year-on-year.
A day earlier, ISPR DG Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said nearly 71 percent of terrorist incidents reported in 2025 occurred in KP, attributing the situation to what he described as a “politically conducive environment” and a growing political-criminal-terror nexus in the province.
The military spokesperson dismissed calls for negotiations and Afghan security guarantees, questioning opposition to counterterrorism operations. He criticised what he termed a false narrative by PTI leaders while sitting in assemblies and reiterated that counterterrorism required firm state action rather than political ambiguity.
Lt Gen Chaudhry also highlighted governance challenges in KP, alleging that illegal mining and the spread of illicit weapons were directly linked to the rise in terrorism.
