Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, while addressing police officials in Peshawar, expressed his commitment to keeping the force free from political interference and said that we are strengthening our police according to Imran Khan’s vision.
During his address at Police Lines on Saturday, the Chief Minister announced several significant financial packages to strengthen the province’s security structure. He revealed that since his government came to power, Rs 7.7 billion for the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and a Rs 7.2 billion package for the Special Branch have been approved.
Afridi said that both the CTD and Special Branch are being strengthened with further recruitments and infrastructure development projects. Furthermore, he announced the release of Rs 6.5 billion to enhance police capacity and security infrastructure in the merged districts.
An additional grant of Rs 3.8 billion was also confirmed for the Safe Cities Project, which the Chief Minister said will be extended from Peshawar to all divisional headquarters and merged districts.
The Chief Minister praised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police’s two-decade-long frontline role and sacrifices against terrorism, which he claimed have not been appreciated by the “occupying mindset in Pakistan”.
He referred to the recent jirga held in the provincial assembly which unanimously adopted the stance that military operations are not a viable solution, and instead advocated for a comprehensive, long-term counter-terrorism policy formulated in consultation with political and religious parties and tribal elders.
Afridi linked his policy of keeping the police apolitical to Imran Khan’s vision and criticised the results of the February 8 elections, calling the day an “insult to the people’s decision” and alleging that the “mandate was stolen”.
Expressing sympathy and condemnation for the recent attacks in Balochistan, the Chief Minister concluded by emphasising that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force is fully prepared to deal with any untoward situation.