PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has made it clear that he will not compromise on his political stance or ideology, saying he would not hesitate to give up the chief minister’s office if remaining in power required him to abandon his principles.
Chairing a high-level meeting on the deteriorating law and order situation in the province, the chief minister said threats of Governor’s Rule or an emergency would not force him to change his position. He said there was no value in holding a position of power if it meant being distanced from one’s core beliefs.
Calls for Review of Federal Security Policy
Sohail Afridi strongly criticised the federal government’s security policy, saying the existing strategy had failed to restore lasting peace in the province and needed to be replaced with a new approach.
He highlighted the sacrifices made by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the police and law-enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism, stressing that the situation required a change in policy.
The chief minister also called on the federal government to take all key stakeholders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on board while formulating a new security strategy. He said a policy shift was in the interest not only of the province but of the entire country.
Rs35 Billion Allocated to Police
During the meeting, Sohail Afridi said the provincial government had allocated Rs35 billion from the development budget to the police. He further said the police budget for fiscal year 2026 had been increased by 103 percent to strengthen the force’s capacity and capabilities.
The chief minister claimed that if his proposed security policy were implemented in full, peace could be restored in the province within 100 days.
He also made it clear that any move contrary to the constitutional and democratic mandate of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not be acceptable.
