The high cost of peace in KP |
THE geo-strategic location of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Frontier Regions, the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (former Taliban) in Afghanistan, and the existence of various militant groups, especially Indian-sponsored Fitn-e-Khawarij or Fitna-tul-Hindustan (former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), have made the province more vulnerable and turned it into a security province. The restoration of peace is a costly state affair. In normalcy, maintenance of law and order is the sole responsibility of the police. However, the current security milieu needs a holistic security approach by engaging the general public as well to cope with criminal activities and terrorism. The defence forces and intelligence agencies, due to such extraordinary security and existential threats, have also been engaged on borders and in various parts of KP, wherein terrorists have established their strong footholds.
Recently, several gruesome incidents in different parts of KP have created a mournful atmosphere. On Feb 16, 2026, a powerful explosion near Miryan Police Station, Bannu, killed two people and injured 17 others. On July 15, militants blew up a bridge leading to the police station to obstruct reinforcements and attempted to ram an explosives-laden vehicle into the........