Muhammad Haseenullah
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s latest public appearance, a joint darbar held for police and civil officers, was presented as a show of solidarity with the security forces. In reality, it once again exposed the same pattern that has defined PTI’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The rhetoric of sacrifice and bravery is repeated on stage, while the ground reality remains marked by political manipulation, contradictory statements, and decisions that directly weaken the province’s fight against terrorism.
Afridi opened his address by painting the familiar picture of KP as a province besieged by terror for four decades. He praised the courage of a police force that has resisted militants for twenty one years despite limited resources. Yet this very government has chosen to deny these same officers the essential protection they need. The decision to reject bulletproof vehicles provided by the federation is still fresh, and the consequences have already been paid in blood. Officers continue to operate without the very equipment he now promises to provide. Promises are made in public ceremonies, and the truth is buried under political calculations meant to please PTI leadership instead of safeguarding police lives.
He claimed that bulletproof vehicles, modern weapons, and anti drone systems are now being provided on an emergency basis. What he did not explain is why these resources were not accepted when the federal government delivered them. Nor did he mention the hundreds of billions in anti terror funds that remain unaccounted for, while police stations operate without vehicles and several districts lack basic infrastructure. His government’s contradictions are deliberate, not accidental. They allow Afridi to appear supportive of the police while keeping political theatrics at the centre of governance.
The contradictions reached their peak when Afridi criticised “certain people who interfere in politics” and those who fail to deliver justice. This criticism would have carried weight if it had not come from the same chief minister who openly consulted a jailed party leader for cabinet formation. If political interference is damaging the system, then his own meetings in jail are the clearest example of that interference. Afridi’s own words expose his double standards. He talks about performance indicators and zero tolerance for corruption, but his government refuses to release a transparent account of anti terror funds or explain why police were deprived of protected mobility that could have saved lives.
He further claimed that decisions made in closed rooms will no longer be accepted. Yet the most important decisions of his tenure, including the cabinet lineup, were finalised behind the walls of Adiala Jail. The public darbar is reduced to a stage, where speeches are made for optics and the real power remains elsewhere. This is not governance, it is political subservience disguised as concern for public welfare.
Afridi’s insistence that “we must act on Imran Khan’s vision” confirms what the province has suffered from for years. PTI’s leadership in KP has consistently placed party interests above public safety, above administrative stability, and above the fight against terrorism. This vision has left the police force under equipped, families of martyrs neglected, and war affected communities still waiting for compensation. It has left KP without a coherent security policy, shifting from calling militants “our people” to lamenting cross border attacks within weeks, depending on the political mood.
By tying governance to the directives of a convicted leader and building political narratives on half truths, the KP government endangers lives and weakens a province already battered by decades of conflict. Afridi’s speech was not a roadmap for security. It was an attempt to mask failures behind big words and applause. The police officers who attended the darbar deserve better than slogans. They deserve the protection, transparency, and leadership that PTI has consistently failed to provide.
Until KP’s leadership stops playing politics with security and starts answering the hard questions about funds, equipment, and priorities, no amount of public ceremonies will change the reality. The fight against terrorism requires unity, honesty, and accountability. PTI’s government in KP continues to provide the opposite.
