Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, has warned that terrorist groups operating in the region are heavily infiltrated by criminal elements who exploit religion and the concept of jihad to deceive the public and extort money.
In a strong statement regarding the militant faction known as Fitna al-Khawarij, the IGP stated that these groups are not ideologically driven fighters but rather criminal gangs involved in target killings, smuggling, theft, and armed robbery. “They wear the cloak of religion, but in reality, they are a threat not only to the lives and property of the people but to the peace of the state itself,” he emphasized.
While the IGP’s comments ring alarm bells about the evolving nature of the militant threat, they also expose a troubling contradiction in the provincial government’s response.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government just yesterday handed over refurbished Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to police in Upper and Lower Dir, a gesture that critics see as woefully inadequate, if not symbolic.
Observers have pointed out the government’s ongoing apathy, incompetence, and duplicity. While the Chief Minister publicly opposes security operations, he privately endorses them in closed-door meetings, according to credible reports. At the same time, the provincial leadership shifts responsibility for border security onto the federal government, yet paradoxically engages in behind-the-scenes dialogue with Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration.
Moreover, government officials continue to make bold statements about “fighting terrorism,” while their actual actions; under-equipped forces, inconsistent policies, and mixed messaging, tell a different story.
At a time when security forces are confronting a hybrid threat of militancy wrapped in criminality, the response from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government appears disjointed and dangerously inadequate.
