Speaking after meeting families of the victims of the recent attack at Kohat Police Lines, Afridi paid tribute to the police, Counter-Terrorism Department and other personnel who fought the attackers. The Kohat assault killed at least 21 people, including 15 police personnel, while more than 100 others were injured, according to officials cited by Dawn.
Afridi said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been facing terrorism for more than two decades and claimed the federal government’s policy towards terrorism had failed to produce the desired results.
He called for a change in policy towards Afghanistan, saying relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had deteriorated despite diplomatic engagement. He also said the continued closure of the border had caused the province financial losses of more than Rs8 billion during the previous fiscal year.
The chief minister alleged that the federal government and institutions were prioritising political issues involving PTI and Imran Khan, while counterterrorism and protection of citizens were not receiving sufficient attention.
Afridi also criticised a statement attributed to the Punjab chief minister, without naming her directly, and said it was inappropriate to suggest that Pakistan faced a threat from its smaller provinces.
He said the KP government had allocated additional resources to strengthen the police. According to a report by APP, the provincial government has provided an additional Rs35 billion for police operational capacity and allocated about Rs190 billion for police related spending in the 2026-27 financial year.
Afridi said strengthening the police was essential for achieving lasting peace in the province and added that provincial lawmakers had reduced parts of their development allocations to provide resources for the police.
He also announced financial assistance for families of civilians killed in the Kohat attack who were not covered under the existing government martyr package.
The chief minister announced additional medical facilities for Kohat District Headquarters Hospital and said the hospital would be provided with necessary medical equipment.
He further announced reconstruction of the mosque and Special Branch police station damaged in the attack. He also referred to an earlier plan for a 1,000-bed hospital in Kohat and said work would be completed as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the security operation following the Kohat Police Lines attack has concluded, with KP police saying eight attackers were killed during the operation.
