- PM Shehbaz addresses participants of KP security workshop.
- Practical steps being taken to improve law and order in KP: PM.
- He terms KP one of country’s most important and strategic regions.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the state was fully determined to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country, while stressing that the establishment of lasting peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become inevitable.
The premier stated this while addressing participants of a KP security workshop in Islamabad earlier today.
He said the government was taking practical steps to further improve the law and order situation in the province.
PM Shehbaz described the KP province as one of country’s most important and strategic regions.
He said KP had made unparalleled sacrifices in the war against terrorism, adding that national security remained the government’s top priority.
The prime minister said that a comprehensive strategy was being adopted to address both internal and external security challenges in the country and paid tribute to the sacrifices rendered by the security forces in the fight against terrorism.
PM Shehbaz went on to say that the nation would have to remain united to counter terrorism. He recalled that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had voted in favour of Pakistan in a referendum. He also said other provinces had contributed Rs800 billion from their own shares to combat terrorism in KP.
The prime minister said there was no distinction between “good” and “bad” Taliban
He questioned why the menace of terrorism had once again re-emerged after Pakistan’s successful efforts to reign in militancy in recent past.
Referring to the Afghan situation, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan had hosted four million Afghans.
He said Afganistan would have to decide whether it wanted to live peacefully.
Moving on to the differences of KP government with the Centre, the premier said he had called KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to congratulate him on assuming office, and the latter had expressed gratitude in response but did not make contact again.
He said that the government wanted to bring stability to the province through public welfare projects. Development work was under way in the sectors of education, health and infrastructure, the premier concluded.
It is worth mentioning that relentless counter terrorism campaign under vision “Azm e Istehkam” by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan is underway to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
Pakistan has experienced a rise in cross-border terrorist incidents since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. The provinces of KP and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan, have been particularly affected by these attacks.
ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in his presser on January 6, said that law enforcement agencies carried out 75,175 IBOs across the country in 2025.
Giving a breakdown, he said 14,658 IBOs were conducted in KP, 58,778 in Balochistan, while 1,739 operations took place in the rest of the country.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that 5,397 terrorism incidents were reported nationwide during the last year. Of these, 3,811 incidents, he said, occurred in KP, 1,557 in Balochistan, and 29 incidents were reported in other parts of the country.
He said that 2,597 terrorists were killed during counterterror operations last year. While providing details of 10 major terror attacks across the country, he said that civilians and soft targets had been deliberately targeted, and Afghan militants were involved in all attacks.
