KP CM Afridi calls for a grand peace jirgah on Oct 25

Published October 19, 2025
A photo of incoming KP chief minister Sohail Afridi. — Facebook/Muhammad Sohail Afridi
A photo of incoming KP chief minister Sohail Afridi. — Facebook/Muhammad Sohail Afridi

The newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has called for a grand peace jirgah on October 25, in the province’s Khyber district, in a bid to discuss avenues for “establishment of peace” in the province.

In a statement on X, Afridi said, “For the establishment of peace, a grand peace jirga of tribal elders, leaders, and youth — transcending political affiliations — will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in Khyber District, Bara Tehsil.”

Stressing the need for prioritising the will of KP’s people in deciding the matters of the province, he said, “The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will themselves decide their lives and their future.”

“No one will be allowed to impose decisions made in closed rooms on the people,” he said, vowing that the KP government “will stand with Imran Khan’s ideology and the interests of the people.”

The development comes as the province witnesses a rise in terrorist attacks, which escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire deal with the state in November 2022 and vowed to target security officials, police, and LEAs personnel.

In July, Security forces backed by gunship helicopters and artillery launched ‘Operation Sarbakaf’ against terrorists in Lowi Mamund in KP, which was then opposed by the provincial government of KP.

In July, a jirga was organised by the Awami National Party (ANP) at its headquarters in the provincial capital rejected any new military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, demanded an end to terrorism and restoration of peace across the province thro­ugh a political leadership-driven jirga.

In August, former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced a series of jirgas to oppose the military operation in Bajaur unless it is taken into confidence by the Centre.

The recommendations by the Jirga were to ensure unity against terrorism to restore peace, as well as declaring that displacement amid the ongoing military operation was “unacceptable under any circumstances”

Opinion

Editorial

Trump rebuked
Updated 06 Jun, 2026

Trump rebuked

OBSERVERS across the world have long questioned the utility of Donald Trump’s now three-month-old war on Iran. But...
Hostile water motives
06 Jun, 2026

Hostile water motives

INDIA’S latest move to advance the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project and its plan to flush silt from the Salal Dam...
Polio progress
06 Jun, 2026

Polio progress

PAKISTAN’S latest sub-national polio campaign offers encouraging evidence that the country can still push back...
Environment deficit
Updated 05 Jun, 2026

Environment deficit

Pakistan knows all too well the consequences of environmental neglect.
Rights concerns
05 Jun, 2026

Rights concerns

TWO recent news reports have highlighted foreign concerns about the state of human and labour rights in the country....
Patient care crisis
05 Jun, 2026

Patient care crisis

HEALTHCARE in Pakistan is a footnote. Claims by successive governments to introduce vast reforms with huge schemes...