Policies behind closed doors failed to curb terrorism: CM Afridi

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Sunday said his government could help ensure peace within 100 days if its proposals were accepted and it was taken into confidence.
He was speaking at a press conference at Al-Amin House after visiting the hospital to inquire after the injured of the attack on Aman Mela checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan. Former chief minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur accompanied him.
The chief minister termed the incident deeply tragic and strongly condemnable, which had resulted in the loss of innocent lives.
He said when terrorism was being brought back to the province as part of a particular policy, PTI had held Aman Pasoons across the province and warned that Pakhtuns would again be made to pay the price.
“We foresaw the situation and raised our voice, but we were accused of lying and propaganda,” he said, adding that soldiers from across Pakistan, police personnel and civilians were all losing lives in the war against terrorism.
He said immediately after assuming office, his government cut the development budget and allocated Rs35 billion for security to strengthen police, CTD and Special Branch, while Rs191.4bn had been allocated for police in 2026-27, 103 per cent higher than last year.
Mr Afridi said Heavy Industries Taxila had received payment last year for APCs but equipment had not been delivered, while National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation had also not provided deliverables despite receiving funds.
He said modern APCs were available in Islamabad and were being used in operations against PTI, while KP was still awaiting APCs for counter-terrorism.
He said over the past 22 years, 22 major operations and 14,000 intelligence-based operations had been conducted, yet terrorism was increasing, which showed that policies formulated behind closed doors had failed.
The chief minister also criticised statements from Punjab, including remarks that there was no threat from India but from the three smaller provinces, and that people of KP were terrorists, saying such language deepened divisions.
He said the provincial government did not want confrontation with the federation but wanted its voice, as the province bearing the greatest burden of terrorism, to be part of policy response.