CM Afridi hits back at Centre over criticism of K-P's counterterror response

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday hit back at the federal government over criticism of his administration’s counterterrorism response, calling for a “policy shift” and greater provincial involvement in security policymaking as terrorism continued to challenge the province. “The policy that you have been implementing for 22 years in Pakistan, especially in K-P, is not working. Peace achieved after two decades of sacrifices was once again lost to unrest following the regime change operation. From the time terrorists moved into the mountains to their subsequent resettlement, we repeatedly warned the federal government, but federal ministers repeatedly dismissed our warnings as propaganda and lies. We repeatedly said that the state’s current policy is wrong and will once again lead to the bloodshed of Pakhtuns,” Afridi said while addressing a meeting on the security situation in the province. His remarks came after federal ministers Attaullah Tarar and Talal Chaudhry criticised the K-P government over its counterterrorism policies. Tarar accused the provincial government of facilitating terrorists for “political and financial interests”, while Chaudhry said the K-P leadership had “not stood united behind its security forces” and had deliberately maintained a “soft attitude” towards terrorists, creating space for them in society. CM Afridi said decisions concerning the province should not be made behind closed doors and called for the K-P government, administration, police and other stakeholders to be involved in formulating security policy. “If you implement that policy, there will be peace here, and our people will not be killed.” The chief minister said that he had repeatedly maintained that peace could be restored within 100 days if the policy he advocated was implemented, but said that the federal government had ignored the province’s position. “When they (terrorists) came down from the mountains, we again said, ‘Look, they are coming down but federal government nevertheless dismissed the warnings as propaganda and accused the provincial government of lying," he added. CM Afridi said the province had experienced peace after years of violence, crediting the sacrifices of police personnel, soldiers and civilians for establishing it. “More than 80,000 of our civilians have made sacrifices to establish this peace in K-P,” he said. وزیراعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا محمد سہیل آفریدی کی زیر صدارت امن و امان سے متعلق اجلاس سے خطاب پشاور: خیبر پختونخوا کے عوام، پولیس اور فوج نے امن کے قیام کے لیے بے شمار قربانیاں دیں، وزیراعلیٰ سہیل آفریدی پشاور: خیبر پختونخوا کے 80 ہزار سے زائد افراد نے پاکستان کے لیے اپنی جانوں کا… pic.twitter.com/1Gc7BT7k6k — PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (@PTIKPOfficial) September 28, 2026 He criticised what he called a mindset that had repeatedly treated K-P and its people as a “laboratory” for policy experiments, arguing that the consequences were again being borne by ordinary residents. Read: Tarar accuses K-P govt of ‘facilitating’ terrorists for political, financial interests The chief minister also criticised federal and Punjab government figures over remarks concerning security threats, alleging that political considerations were being prioritised while K-P faced continued attacks. He said soldiers, police personnel and civilians, including children and women, were being killed in the province while other state institutions were focused on political matters. CM Afridi said his government had increased spending on the police because of the severity of the security situation. He said Rs35 billion had been diverted from the development budget to the police department after he took office. For the 2026-27 financial year, he said, the provincial police budget had been increased to Rs191.4 billion — a 103 per cent increase. “We are strengthening our Special Branch, we are strengthening our police, we are acquiring modern equipment and giving them modern weapons in every way,” he said. However, CM Afridi maintained that additional funding and equipment alone would not resolve the security crisis unless there was a change in policy. He said he had been calling for such a change since October 15, 2025, arguing that the existing approach had failed despite being implemented for more than two decades. He also accused opponents of using what he called “paid media” and political proxies to construct what he termed false narratives about the province. “What direction are you taking Pakistan in? What direction are you taking it in?” he asked, questioning whether the lives of people in K-P were being treated as expendable. Read More: 13 martyred in DI Khan checkpoint suicide blast The chief minister said political disagreements should not be allowed to dictate security policy and insisted that the provincial government had a public mandate that could not be ignored. “No one can go against the people’s mandate, and no one can afford to do so,” he said. The chief minister also rejected threats of imposing governor’s rule or emergency in the province, saying he was willing to give up his office rather than compromise on his political position, while calling for a fundamental shift in the state’s approach to terrorism. His remarks came amid speculation over the possibility of governor’s rule or emergency being imposed in K-P as the federal government and the provincial administration have traded accusations over the deteriorating security situation. CM Afridi said he would not be intimidated by such threats. “If anyone tries to frighten me by saying that governor’s rule will be imposed here or an emergency will be imposed, then I curse this chair if it makes me abandon my ideology,” he said. “I have no concern for this chair,” he added, reiterating that the position he had held from the beginning — which he associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's founder Imran Khan’s political ideology — remained unchanged. “Change your policy. Bring a policy shift. Save our armed forces personnel, our police department personnel and our ordinary civilians from this bloodshed,” he said. CM Arridi said reducing violence in K-P was not only in the interest of the province but of the country as a whole. “There is benefit for Pakistan in this, and there is benefit for all of us,” Afridi said. K-P's worsening security situation has brought the province’s PTI-led government into an increasingly direct confrontation with the federal government, with Islamabad questioning its handling of law and order even as deadly attacks continue. The latest escalation came after the September 18 attack on Kohat Police Lines, where 23 people, including 15 police personnel, were killed, followed by the September 26 attack on a joint checkpoint in DIK that left at least 12 people dead and 35 injured.