I Will Not Back Down Over Threats of Governor’s Rule or Emergency: CM Sohail Afridi

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has said he will not back down from his position despite threats of governor’s rule or the imposition of an emergency in the province.

Addressing a meeting on the law and order situation in Peshawar, Afridi said the people, police and armed forces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made enormous sacrifices for peace. He said more than 80,000 people from the province had sacrificed their lives for Pakistan, while the peace achieved through two decades of sacrifices had again been disrupted by violence.

The chief minister said the provincial government had repeatedly warned the state and federal authorities—from the movement of militants to the mountains to their subsequent resettlement—about the potential return of unrest. He said protests and public gatherings had also been organised in different districts to raise concerns over the deteriorating security situation, but repeated warnings were dismissed by federal ministers as propaganda and falsehoods.

Afridi said the current policy was not producing the desired results and claimed that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being subjected to the consequences of a particular mindset. He said soldiers, police personnel, children, women, elderly people and ordinary citizens were among those being targeted by terrorism.

“There cannot be one policy for the favourites and another for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, adding that any policy aimed at pushing the province back into violence was unacceptable. His remarks came amid heightened political tensions between the federal and provincial governments over security policy.

Afridi said the provincial government had allocated Rs35 billion from the development budget for police and security needs, while the police budget for the 2026-27 financial year had been increased to around Rs191 billion, representing a 103% increase, according to figures he cited. He said efforts were also under way to strengthen police manpower and capacity, the Special Branch, and provide modern weapons and other equipment.

He maintained that providing additional resources to the police alone would not resolve the security situation and called on the federal government to change its policy. He said he had been calling since October 15, 2025 for a review of the policy pursued over the previous 22 years and for a new strategy to be formulated after taking the provincial government, administration, police and other stakeholders into confidence.

The chief minister said that if the proposed policy was implemented, peace could be restored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 100 days, but complained that the relevant authorities were not prepared to listen. He also criticised what he described as decision-making by people who were unwilling to hear the concerns of the province’s stakeholders.

Afridi said no action contrary to the will of the people and the public mandate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be acceptable.

“I curse a chair that takes me away from my ideology. I will not retreat from my position because of threats of governor’s rule or an emergency,” he said.

He urged the federal government to introduce a policy shift to prevent further bloodshed involving soldiers, police personnel and civilians, arguing that a change in policy would serve not only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the interests of Pakistan as a whole.

The remarks come as tensions between the federal and provincial governments have intensified over security policy, with recent reports indicating discussion in federal circles about possible constitutional measures in the province. The federal information minister, however, had earlier said the government had no intention of imposing governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.