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• ‘Thaw’ comes after friction with Centre over Tirah operation, counter terror policy
• Panel to meet monthly, review governance & development
• KP minister says army to hand over Malakand command to police, civil admin
• PSL fixtures to be held in Peshawar for the first time
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal governments on Tuesday agreed to set up a subcommittee, headed by the KP chief minister, to oversee development projects and targeted military operations in the province’s terrorism-affected districts.
In what seems like a sign of a thaw after months of recriminations over security issues, the committee will ensure “comprehensive coordination and a united stance on key policy matters”, including terrorism, a statement said.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting at Corps Headquarters Peshawar, attended by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the National Security Adviser, Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Omer Ahmed Bokhari, provincial cabinet members and senior officials.
The move comes after vicious bickering between the province and the Centre over counterterrorism measures, including the operation in Tirah in Khyber district, which exposed differences over security and the conduct of anti-terrorism operations.
According to the statement, the committee will meet on a monthly basis and include elected representatives, the corps commander, the chief secretary, the inspector general of police and senior officials from federal and provincial organisations.
Besides reviewing governance and development issues in the affected districts, the committee will also work to create alternative livelihood opportunities to ensure a sustainable source of income for residents. It will also make arrangements to address issues faced by temporarily displaced persons, the statement said.
The meeting also decided to implement a provincial governance model in Malakand division under the supervision of the police and other provincial institutions. The statement said the model would be implemented in phases in the affected districts, particularly Khyber, Orakzai and Kurram.
Moreover, the participants agreed to continue a crackdown on illegal SIMs, explosives and extortion, and to carry out phased profiling of non-custom-paid vehicles.
Separately, KP government spokesperson Shafi Jan, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Finance Muzammil Aslam and Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi said, in a video statement, that the meeting had taken key decisions on security and finances.
Mr Afridi said it was decided that the Pakistan Army would relinquish command in the Malakand division to the KP police and civilian authorities. He described the restoration of law and order in Malakand as a major success for the provincial government, civil administration and the military. “This reflects the trust in the KP police,” he said.
He added that a meeting of political leaders and tribal elders would be convened to take them into confidence, and that the political and military leadership would ensure implementation of the recommendations they put forward.
About the provincial apex committee, Mr Afridi said it would meet ahead of the national apex committee, adding that the national forum would endorse the provincial decisions.
Mr Aslam said the province’s financial issues were discussed at length. “The meeting was informed that several of the province’s financial problems could be eased if it gets its due share under the National Finance Commission award,” he said.
He said the meeting observed that the provincial government was fulfilling responsibilities in the merged districts despite limited funding from the Centre, and it was decided to share KP’s recommendations with the federal government to seek maximum relief.
Mr Jan said the meeting also decided to hold Pakistan Super League matches in Peshawar for the first time, adding that the city’s Imran Khan Cricket Stadium would host PSL fixtures.
A senior official privy to the meeting told Dawn that it was held in a cordial atmosphere. “It was positive. Let’s see how it goes,” the official said.
The official said the realignment of security responsibilities in Malakand had been discussed last year, with the military seeking to hand over routine duties so it could deploy additional personnel to border areas. However, the official added, the military would remain available to assist the civilian administration.
Another official said Malakand should be developed into an all-encompassing governance model by addressing education, health, infrastructure and other sectors, so that the police and civil administration are seen as first responders rather than the military.
“This is the model we would like to see replicated in the other three districts. Things seem to have moved on from worse to a positive trajectory. We may also see a central apex committee meeting, with the prime minister and army chief in attendance. We may see some good results from this bonhomie,” he added.
Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2026
