PESHAWAR: The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) has opposed the federal government’s decision to relocate the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters from Peshawar to Islamabad, terming it an injustice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a statement issued from Watan Kor here on Sunday, the QWP Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said that the FC headquarters based in Peshawar carried historical importance and had been functioning smoothly.

He warned that the move would be resisted at every forum, particularly at a time when the province was facing a renewed wave of terrorism.

Sherpao maintained that relocating the headquarters would not only burden the exchequer with additional expenses but also aggravate the already fragile law and order in the province.

Highlighting another concern, the QWP chief said that the FC had long provided an avenue of employment for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the merged tribal districts, where locals were recruited owing to their familiarity with the region and its dynamics.

He expressed fear that with structural changes and the relocation, this important source of livelihood would be taken away for the local population.

The QWP chief said that depriving the province of an active force like the FC was an unacceptable step and this would be opposed tooth and nail.

He suggested that the government should strengthen the Punjab Constabulary instead of relocating FC Headquarters to Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2025