LOWER DIR: Awami National Party (ANP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa general secretary Hussain Shah Yousafzai has condemned the recent terrorist attack in Kohat, saying the people of the province would continue to carry the coffins of their loved ones unless all political leaders united and actively worked towards resolving the issue.

He was speaking to journalists on Friday after visiting the family of martyred DSP Haider Zaman in Talash here to offer his condolences. DSP Zaman was martyred, along with other policemen, during an attack by terrorists in the Gumbat area of Kohat on Wednesday.

Mr Yousafzai said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was in the grip of terrorism, with police officers and personnel losing their lives in attacks.

Commenting on the imposition of governor’s rule in the province, he said that the government was preoccupied with removing encroachments, while Pakhtuns continued to carry the coffins of their loved ones.

He maintained that tackling the ongoing war against terrorism was beyond the capacity and training of the provincial police force.

Mr Yousafzai also pointed out that police personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were receiving low salaries and called for an immediate increase in their pay.

He said the police must be equipped with modern weapons and protective gear if they were expected to remain on the front line in the fight against terrorists.

Claiming that the ANP government had strengthened the police force during its tenure in the province, he said it had increased the number of police stations, provided bulletproof vehicles to the force, and substantially raised the salaries of the policemen.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2026