KP chief minister urges federal government to involve province in counter-terrorism policy and deliver promised APCs

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi travelled to Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday to inspect the wounded after a suicide bombing that killed more than a dozen people, including rescue personnel. Accompanied by former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, he addressed the media, urging the federal government to involve Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in drafting the counter-terrorism policy so it reflects on-the-ground realities. Afridi highlighted that his administration had transferred an additional Rs35 billion to the KP police in the previous financial year and had paid federal agencies for modern weapons, equipment and armored personnel carriers, which remain undelivered.

He demanded that the pending APCs be supplied without further delay and warned that daily coffins are being collected, underscoring the human cost of the conflict. The chief minister also announced that families of terror victims would receive a martyr package and accused certain federal elements of polarising the country, inviting any threat of governor’s rule to be carried out. The report also covered the funeral of customs officer Farman Khan, who died in the attack, alongside other fallen personnel.