• Says Centre must take all stakeholders in province on board
• Peace jirga asks federal govt to prioritise talks with Afghanistan
• Seeks reopening of all trade routes with eastern neighbour

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakh­tun­khwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday called for a “shift” in the federal government’s counterterrorism policies and urged the adoption of long-term solutions through consultation with all stakeholders in the province to eradicate militancy from the region once and for all.

“The Pak-Afghan relations have a direct impact on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as we share almost everything in common with the people of Afgha­nistan,” Mr Afridi said while addressing a peace jirga organised here by his government that brought toge­ther stakeholders from across the province.

The peace jirga, chaired by KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, unanimously demanded that the federal government prioritise negotiations with Afghanistan while consulting the KP government in shaping Afghan policy.

It also demanded a provincial action plan, reopening of all trade routes with Afghanistan, and also reducing tensions between the KP and federal governments.

The jirga was organised following a decision made during the second meeting of the special parliamentary committee.

The special house committee had been formed after almost two months of debate in the KP Asse­mbly, where lawmakers deba­ted the deteriorating law and order situation in the province.

The KP chief minister said that the provincial leadership had been repeatedly calling for peace in the province but some people opposed it.

He urged policymakers to recognise the intelligence and wisdom of other individuals and include them in the decision-making process.

The KP CM said that the security forces, whether the army, police, or the counterterrorism department, had all made sacrifices, which helped establish peace in 2018, adding that war should always be the last option for resolving any issue. He also demanded that KP receive its full share in the National Finance Commission (NFC), which he estimated at around Rs400 billion.

Mr Afridi noted that while the tribal areas had been merged administratively with KP, the economic integration was still incomplete.

Jirga proceedings

The jirga was attended by former governors and chief ministers, tribal elders, lawmakers, representatives of all political parties in KP, along with legal experts, members of the business community, media representatives, and civil society members.

The participants gave written suggestions to the organisers and shared their suggestions during their speeches, with most suggesting talks with the Afghan Taliban regime for lasting peace, taking the provincial government on board before making any decision regarding peace in KP, and resolving the differences between the federal and provincial government for the larger public interest.

After an hours-long debate in the KP Assembly, the participants, in a declaration issued after the gathering’s conclusion, condemned militant attacks in the province, especially in the merged districts, and reiterated that the provincial government utilise all available resources to root out militancy for lasting peace in the province.

The participants also demanded an in-camera briefing for the lawmakers on the ongoing military actions against terrorists within a stipulated time period, besides, immediate implementation of all the resolutions passed by the KP Assembly for peace in the province, in letter and spirit.

The gathering demanded constituting “peace forums” with its members comprising youth, politicians, minorities and women.

The declaration stated that the provincial finance commission should be linked with the NFC to give financial protection and stability to local governments.

The participants also demanded that KP should be provided its rights, including net-hydel profit, federal excise duty on oil, water share, precedence of natural gas, NFC share for the merged districts, implementation of 11th NFC Award, Galyat Drinking Water initiative besides implementation of Article 151 for wheat supply to KP.

Call for talks

KP Assembly Speaker Swati said militancy in KP began in 2002, followed by multiple military operations, yet the situation remained largely unchanged despite 22 major operations and thousands of individual border operations.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that every few years, a superpower came to Afghanistan but left behind a mess.

“Peace and development cannot be achieved unless the provincial and federal governments, along with security forces, work together,” he added.

Leader of the Opposition in the KP Assembly, Dr Ibadullah, described militancy as a decades-long problem.

“First, a decision should be made on how to end militancy, and second, the root causes must be identified and addressed,” he said.

PTI KP President Junaid Akbar traced the issue to the country’s involvement in the Afghan war in the late 1970s.

He said the military initially viewed groups like the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as their own people, intended to be rehabilitated, but political leaders had expressed their reservations over the move.

PTI leader and former NA speaker Asad Qaisar called on the Afghan government to take responsibility and urged the federal government to use diplomatic channels. “Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot survive without each other,” he said.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Maulana Attaur Rehman emphasised that peace efforts had so far failed and urged restraint in public statements. “If somebody wants to bring peace, all stakeholders must be taken on board,” he said.

PML-N’s Zahid Khan said there were two options for resolving the issues — either dialogue, which if failed, then war. He added that they held dialogues in the past but the accords were broken.

“Whatever the military does should be supported by the government, or otherwise, it must step down.” Jamaat-i-Islami’s former chief Sirajul Haq noted that talks would be necessary even after 20 years of conflict.

“For those calling for war, [they should] look at the destruction in Jalalabad, Kabul, Peshawar, and Islamabad,” he added.

Awami National Party (ANP) KP chief Mian Iftikhar Hussain called for ending the narrative of “good and bad Taliban” and urged full implementation of the National Action Plan to eradicate militancy.

Highlighting ANP’s own experience, he said the party had faced militancy bravely, engaged in talks, involved all stakeholders, cleared the Malakand division, and rehabilitated displaced people.

He also called for mutual respect between Pakistan and Afghanistan, reopening trade routes, and promoting the border economy.

Former KP CM and PTI lawmaker Mahmood Khan wondered about the outcome of the past peace jirgas. He urged the federal government to engage with key stakeholders.

Other speakers included Qaumi Watan Party’s Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, PML-Q’s Intikhab Shamkani, Pakistan Mazdoor Kisan Party Chairman Afzal Shah Khamosh, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen’s Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and National Democratic Movement’s Mohsin Dawar, among others.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2025