PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan on Friday said some districts in the province faced law and order challenges due to the “decisions made behind closed doors without broader consultation”.

“Security, alongside healthcare and education, is our top priority, so we’re spending heavily on counter-terrorism and police modernisation,” the minister said at a media briefing on the decisions made in a cabinet meeting.

According to Mr Jan, the provincial government allocated Rs170 billion, 8.7 per cent of the total budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 for police, the highest ratio among provinces compared to Punjab’s 3.9 per cent and Sindh’s 5.9 per cent allocations.

He said that police funding had increased by 37 per cent over the last two years, with an additional Rs46 billion allocated for modernisation, including intelligence systems, weapons, technology, and training, read an official statement issued from his office.

Says govt spending heavily on counter-terrorism, police modernisation

The minister said that Rs17 billion was being spent on development of the security sector and over Rs18 billion on police salaries and that the police-to-population ratio in the province stood at one officer for 291 citizens and 3,550 new police posts had been created, including in merged tribal districts.

He announced that Rs749 million had been released for 312 cases under the Shuhada Package. He hinted at plans to increase the police budget by 12 per cent in the next fiscal year.

The minister said that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi played an active role in opposing CNG suspension and restrictions on wheat transportation to KP and that the CM mobilised all political parties on a joint platform to address the issue.

He said that KP produced 508mmcfd of gas, while its domestic requirement was only 180mmcfd.

He added that power shortages and restrictions on wheat supply from Punjab had severely impacted local industries and flour mills.

The minister criticised reductions in the federal share in the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) for merged districts, saying allocations have fallen from Rs42 billion to Rs37 billion and only Rs22 billion of it had been released.

About the cabinet decisions, he said that the cabinet meeting approved several major decisions, including the merger of Levies Force with the police in Malakand region and the introduction of a uniform police system there.

Mr Jan said that the cabinet also approved the Digital Transformation Policy and Roadmap, 2030, to modernise governance through digitisation, cyber security, digital payments and the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics.

He said in agriculture, the cabinet approved the reconstitution of KP Seed Council to ensure quality seed supply, improve research and enhance food security.

The minister said that the cabinet approved construction of women’s hostels and a multi-storey parking facility at the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology.

The cabinet also approved a transparent recruitment mechanism for medical teaching institutions, pending salaries for 906 health technicians and vaccinators and a formal salary structure for contract employees.

It approved financial assistance worth Rs760 million for nine patients requiring expensive medical treatment, a Rs2 million grant for the Youth Leaders Parliament and Rs9.982 million for the National T20 Cricket Cup 2025-26 at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, Peshawar, and the procurement of 29 containerised office and residential units for deputy commissioners in Khyber and Kurram tribal districts, along with the extension of service for assistant qazis in Malakand Division.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026