PESHAWAR:
As soon as the present Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government came to power, it promised to improve the law and order situation in the province by eliminating the menace of terrorism and promoting economic activities as its first priority. However, despite high allegations, terrorism remained a menacing challenge for law enforcement agencies, which failed to protect the peace of the country.
According to the data obtained from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) for 2024, most of the terrorist attacks were carried out in the southern districts of the province including Dera Ismail Khan, Lucky Marwat, Bannu, Tank, Kohat, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Khyber, Bajaur and Peshawar. A 20.7 percent increase in terrorism cases was seen, rising from 530 incidents in 2023 to a total of 640 incidents this year, with the highest number, around 300, reported from Dera Ismail Khan, the hometown of the Chief Minister.
Sources in CTD KP’s The Express PAkGazette newspaper revealed that the police had almost abandoned the practice of patrolling police stations after sunset in the southern districts where terrorist activities against civilians and armed personnel were on the rise. Of all the incidents, 355 involved terrorist-led shootings and killings, 113 involved the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against security forces, political figures, officials, police and other government institutions, while another six were suicide attacks. . The heinous incidents claimed the lives of 275 people, including 142 policemen and 133 civilians, while 214 policemen and 246 civilians were injured in the activities of the militants.
Commenting on the deteriorating law and order situation in the province and tribal areas, Dr Khurram Iqbal, security affairs expert and PhD in Security and Counter Terrorism from Australia, while speaking to The Express PAkGazette, believed that the pull The war between the federal and provincial governments had destabilized peacekeeping in the southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Dr Iqbal further opined that to address the issue of cross-border sanctuaries of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), both the federal and provincial governments must take a united stance towards Afghanistan to ensure lasting peace.
On the other hand, Peshawar capital police chief Qasim Ali Khan felt that although the security threat was still prevalent, the CTD and the police were doing their best. “The network involved in the Peshawar police line blast was dismantled this year, while top killers and suspects involved in terrorism were also arrested,” Khan said.
