In a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that the Centre’s cooperation was vital for eliminating terrorism in the province.

In a statement released on the social media platform X, the interior ministry said that Kundi called on the interior minister in Islamabad. It added that the two discussed security measures in KP’s border areas and ongoing operations against khawarij.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

According to the statement, the interior minister gave assurances of the government’s full cooperation for peace and security in KP.

“Establishing peace in KP is the top priority,” he was quoted as saying. He said that the federal government was “prepared to provide support in this regard in every possible way”.

“We appreciate the sacrifices made by the people of KP in the war against terrorism,” Naqvi said.

“Fitna al Khawarij and their facilitators are being eliminated through joint efforts,” he added. “No leniency of any kind will be shown toward the khawariji,“ he said.

Meanwhile, Kundi said that the Centre’s cooperation was essential for establishing peace and security in the province.

“Joint and coordinated action is needed to eliminate terrorism,” he said.

On Sunday, Kundi had asked the KP government to support the military operations in the province as the security situation had significantly deteriorated due to militancy.

Speaking at the National Press Club, he said the KP government should support security operations, as “without stability, development projects could not move forward”.

Insecurity has a negative impact on the social and economic conditions of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said, adding that “sustained peace was essential for businesses and investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.

According to statistics released by the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), Pakis­tan’s counterterrorism scenario saw a marked escalation in 2025 — combat-related deaths rising by 73 per cent against the previous one — with violence intensifying and pushing several indicators to their highest levels in over a decade.

The year not only witnessed a steep rise in overall combat-related deaths, but also became the deadliest one for militants since 2015, the most lethal for security forces since 2011, and the worst for civilian casualties since 2015.