Checkpost attack: KP CM visits D I Khan, inquires after health of injured

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi visited Dera Ismail Khan, where he visited the hospital and inquired after the health of those injured in the terrorist attack on Aman Mela Check Post. Former Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur accompanied him during the visit. The Chief Minister was briefed on the treatment being provided to the injured and their health conditions. Later, addressing a press conference at Al-Amin House, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said that the terrorist incident in Dera Ismail Khan was deeply tragic and strongly condemnable, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives. The Chief Minister said that all their statements and positions taken following the regime change operation should be reviewed. When terrorism was being brought back to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of a particular policy, he said that they held Aman Pasoons across the province, went among the people and continued to raise their voice that once again the Pashtuns were being made to pay the price, once again Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be drenched in blood, and once again terrorism was being imposed upon the province. Ironically, he said he was accused of lying and spreading propaganda and that the imposed and corrupt rulers of today said there was no such situation. He said the threat was not to them, but to him, his people and the province. That was why, he said, they had already foreseen the situation and were raising their voices and warning the people and the authorities. The Chief Minister said that the toll of terrorism was not being borne by the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. Soldiers serving from across Pakistan were also losing their lives here, alongside police personnel and ordinary civilians. They are all our own people, he said, part of the same society, irrespective of their province, sect or uniform. Muhammad Sohail Afridi said they had consistently criticised every policy that harmed the people and Pakistan, and that their opposition to policies formulated behind closed doors had never been dependent on any seat or position. The people and youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said, understood how the present situation had emerged and who was paying the price. He said the statements of representatives of the federal government and those imposed in Punjab were sufficient to demonstrate their seriousness. He referred to the Punjab Chief Minister’s statement that there was no threat from India but from the other three provinces, as well as a statement by a Punjab minister describing the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as terrorists. Other representatives, he said, were also making similar statements on television. In contrast, the seriousness of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was evident from its actions. Immediately upon assuming office, he said, the government cut its development budget and allocated Rs 35 billion for peace and security to provide resources and enable the police, CTD and Special Branch to strengthen their infrastructure and capacity. He said Rs191. 4 billion had been allocated for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police in 2026-27, 103 percent higher than the previous year, because there could be no development or prosperity without peace. The Chief Minister said the seriousness of the federal government and its institutions could also be judged from the fact that Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), a federal institution, had received payment from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government last year for the procurement of APC, yet the required equipment had still not been provided. Similarly, the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), another federal institution, was provided with the necessary funds but the deliverables are still not provided. Muhammad Sohail Afridi said he had also raised the matter during a recent meeting with federal institutions, pointing out that modern APCs were available in Islamabad and were being used in operations against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had repeatedly requested APCs for the fight against terrorism and had already made the required payments. He said the federal authorities had been asked to provide those APCs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so that they could instead be used against terrorism. The Chief Minister said those appearing on television and lecturing others should first examine the policies that had led to the return of terrorism. When the Pakistan Democratic Movement government was in power and terrorism was being brought back, they had repeatedly protested and warned the public, but their concerns had not been heard. He said those who failed to understand the hardships and sacrifices of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were spending Rs 11 billion on aircraft, Rs. 1 billion on purple interiors for vehicles, travelling to London for medical treatment and purchasing flats in Dubai. He said false narratives could no longer mislead the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Pakistan, who are fully aware of the reality. The Chief Minister warned that language promoting hatred was deepening divisions and could have extremely harmful consequences. Pakistan was already facing difficult circumstances, he said, and any agenda or narrative that created hatred among provinces and the people should be avoided, as further escalation would harm everyone. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was serious about eliminating terrorism and had repeatedly stated that effective action and results could be achieved within 100 days if its proposed policy was implemented. Policies formulated behind closed doors, he said, had not proved effective. Over the past 22 years, around 22 major operations and 14, 000 intelligence-based operations had been conducted, yet terrorism had not been eliminated and was instead increasing. This demonstrated the need for a policy shift based on ground realities. The Chief Minister said the war against terrorism could not be won without taking the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and its people into confidence. Those who had faced terrorism for 22 years and continued to bear its consequences had to be part of the decision-making process. He urged the federal government to exercise wisdom, recognise the gravity of the situation and consult those who understood the issue instead of repeatedly pursuing the same approach behind closed doors. The provincial government, he said, did not want confrontation with the federation; it wanted terrorism eliminated, peace established, and the lives of soldiers, police and civilians protected. He said that if the federal government took the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and its people into confidence, accepted the province’s proposals and adopted an effective policy to eliminate terrorism, then the fight could be won. The objective, he said, was not merely to criticise but to establish peace and ensure that the voice of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which continued to bear the greatest burden of terrorism, was part of the policy response. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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