In the volatile border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a bitter feud between Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi is casting a dark shadow over Pakistan’s fight against terrorism. As attacks intensify across the region, this high-level political rift threatens to undermine critical security efforts at a time when unity is desperately needed.
Afridi recently chaired meetings to push forward the Safe Cities project, installing hundreds of surveillance cameras in hotspots like Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat. With 711 cameras in Peshawar alone, the initiative aims to bolster monitoring, deter crime, and enhance police response through command centers. Plans are underway to expand it to merged districts such as Tank, North Waziristan, and Karak.
But Governor Kundi dismissed these moves as a distraction from real dangers. In a fiery press conference, he accused Afridi of neglecting law and order to chase political rallies elsewhere, even as militants target police and officials daily. Kundi highlighted a deadly IED blast in Tank that killed seven officers and rising attacks in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu.
The governor demanded renewed military operations, beefed-up police and counter-terrorism units, and training for levies in former tribal areas. He pointed fingers at Afghan connections in drone-dropped explosives and urged provincial leaders to prioritize borders over rallies, warning that internal divisions play into Taliban hands.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar joined the criticism, slamming Afridi for comments on Afghan soil that he said bolster terrorist narratives and downplay threats from groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The clash underscores deepening federal-provincial tensions amid alarming stats: 702 terror incidents in 2024 killed 1,363 people, a 45% jump from the previous year. In 2025, over 500 attacks targeted security forces, with districts like Bannu and Peshawar bearing the brunt, many linked to Afghan bases.
As PTI’s provincial government faces accusations of failing on health, education, and infrastructure, Kundi called for collaboration to stabilize Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With terrorism resurging, this political infighting could prove catastrophic, handing militants the chaos they crave.