• Afridi says peace efforts are supported but not at expense of tribal people, asks ‘powers that be’ to take stakeholders into confidence
• Demands immediate NFC meeting, payment of hydel profit

KHYBER: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday said the provincial government will not accept “collateral damage” anymore, as he continued to express his opposition to plans for anti-terrorism offensives in the province.

The newly installed chief minister also demanded an immediate meeting of the National Finance Commission (NFC) as well as the money owed to KP in terms of hydel profit.

Addressing a public gathering in his hometown Khyber, the CM said, “We support the state and the security forces’ efforts for peace, but will never accept collateral damage anymore.” “If any innocent life is lost this time, there will be accountability,” Afridi was quoted by Dawn.com as saying.

The CM said the tribesmen guarded the Western border from 1947 till September 11, 2001, but some decision-makers made choices behind closed doors without taking the stakeholders into confidence and went to join someone else’s war.

He said that the tribesmen had to leave their homes because of the violence that ensued. “We left our homes. Drone attacks and military operations began destroying our homes, hujras, and mosques for peace in the country,” he said.

Mr Afridi said that promises were made with the displaced persons, questioning if the promises made in the past were even fulfilled. He said the militants were resettled in the region, a move resisted by the tribesmen through peace marches and the state was informed that such elements were not acceptable to them.

According to the CM, the state initially refused to acknowledge the presence of militants in the area but once again, military operations are being planned and locals are being killed. “When we protest, security forces fire straight at us. Why do we offer sacrifices anymore?” he said, adding that now he along with these people will ask questions from the powers that be. He said the provincial government, tribal elders, and parliamentarians must be taken on board before any decisions and all the decisions taken behind closed doors were unacceptable. He further said that the federal government must pay all the arrears to KP and demanded an immediate meeting of the NFC for the province’s due share, as well as the payment of the pending net-hydel profits.

“We don’t need used vehicles. We want our rights,” he said and promised locals to continue to fight for the rights of the KP residents. “I promise, I will fight for your rights until my last breath and will stand firm with PTI founder Imran Khan,” he said, adding that “no one can buy me or force me to bow down”.

The chief minister said that he would visit all the merged districts to hold peace jirgas, adding that a ‘Loya Amn Jirga’ would be formed as well.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025