• Hints at bringing legislation to criminalise damage to life and property in such incidents
• KP CM says jirga to be held on Saturday with tribal elders to decide future course of action
• Assembly passes three bills on members’ privileges, salaries and allowances

PESHAWAR: Following public outcry from his own constituency over drone attacks, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday hinted at introducing legislation to criminalise collateral damage in such incidents.

The development comes after a meeting of lawmakers from the affected districts decided that the issue would be taken up in the provincial assembly, while vowing to put up a joint front to protect civilians.

“We held a meeting on bringing a law against drone attacks, but ‘they’ have protected themselves in the Constitution against drone attacks … However, we can legislate against collateral damage,” CM Afridi said while speaking during a session of the KP Assembly summoned to discuss the issue. He alleged that whenever he protested against a drone strike, he received a message that “they” understood the situation and were sorry, without elaborating further.

The chief minister also questioned why sensitive installations were never targeted in such incidents, and only the people of the province suffered.

‘Draconian law’

In a fiery speech, CM Afridi also questioned the results of military operations during the last 20 years. He said that not just KP but the entire country had been destroyed due to decisions taken behind closed doors.

The chief minister also termed the Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance a “draconian law”.

The Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordi­nance, passed in 2019, authorises the armed forces to detain an individual at anytime and anywhere in the province without assigning any reason and without producing the accused before a court of law.

CM Afridi said that a jirga would be summoned on Saturday against drone strikes, while the opposition was also told to ensure tribal elders’ presence for deciding the future course of action.

Earlier in the session, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Swati deferred the day’s agenda, saying he had done so due to an uptick in the number of drone strikes in the province.

“There is no end in sight to the [military] operations in our province,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Public Relations, Shafi Jan, alleged that the drone attacks were pre-planned, and “are being done to undermine only one political party”.

Mr Jan said the jirga summoned for Saturday would decide the future course of action — whether to march towards Islamabad or protest outside the KP Assembly or the National Assembly.

He added that the government had decided not to tolerate it anymore, reiterating the chief minister’s stance of not accepting the decisions taken behind closed doors.

“Hatred takes a second to spread but years to fade away,” he said.

MPA Ajmal Khan said the only permanent solution to the problem was a dialogue with Afghanistan. “We face the direct impact of the situation in Afghanistan. Islamabad and Kabul should continue talks, but Peshawar must be included,” Mr Khan said.

The PML-N’s Rashad Khan said the province was rich in minerals, forests and hydel power, but the law and order situation had destroyed the economy.

Treasury MPA Anwar Zeb Khan said that amid fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, shells landed in civilian areas.

“Please give a ruling so that military camps in residential areas are relocated,” he requested the speaker.

Meanwhile, Awami National Party’s Muhammad Nisar stated that tribesmen had been suffering from drone strikes.

The JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman said the region had been facing a law and order situation for almost 30 years, adding that the economy could not improve without peace.

“Discussing our problems here in the House will never resolve issues,” he said. However, the PPP’s Ahmad Karim Kundi contradicted Mr Rehman, saying the right forum for resolving issues was the KP Assembly.

House passes bills

During the session, the House also pas­sed three bills — the KP Assembly Powers, Immunities and Privileges Bill 2026; the KP Province Speaker and Deputy Speaker Immunities, Privileges, Salaries and Allowances Bill 2026; and the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Salaries and Allowances of the members Bill 2026. The bills were tabled by Minister for Law Aftab Alam Afridi. The session was later adjourned to May 4.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026