Arif Yousafzai
Just days before the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government called an All Parties Conference (APC) to discuss the worsening law and order situation, political rivals who publicly abuse one another had no trouble uniting for Senate elections. Yet when it came to the lives, peace, and dignity of the people of Pakhtunkhwa, those same parties ANP, JUI, PPP, and PML-N refused to even show up. This is not just hypocrisy it is national betrayal.
I have said it before, and I say it again: Pakistan’s greatest misfortune is that its people are ruled by leaders who neither understand nor honour the concepts of responsibility, seriousness, or public duty. Their political unity is reserved solely for personal gain, never for the public interest. This week’s events have exposed this bitter reality once more.
On July 21, when the Senate election took place, all major parties PTI, JUI, PPP, and PML-N sat shoulder to shoulder in the assembly hall. I witnessed with my own eyes that ballot papers were marked in a backroom, where lawmakers were instructed to vote for specific candidates and return the remaining ballots. Fraud was committed in full view. These parties, who hurl insults at each other in public, were united in manipulating the democratic process for their mutual benefit.
But when the provincial government called an APC to formulate a joint strategy for peace and security in Pakhtunkhwa, the same parties walked away. They boycotted the session meant to address growing insecurity, targeted killings, and the return of militancy. This proves one thing: when it comes to power, they are brothers; when it comes to protecting people, they are rivals.
I condemn this political behavior in the strongest possible terms. It reveals their complete disconnect from the suffering of ordinary citizens. While the people of Pakhtunkhwa bury their dead and fear for their lives, these so-called leaders are locked in selfish rivalries.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur himself is not above criticism. He has stated publicly that operations are not the solution to militancy. That may well be true, but where is the alternative plan? What is the solution then? As the elected head of the provincial government, it is not enough for Gandapur to critique operations; he must propose and execute a viable policy. You cannot sit on the chair of power and simultaneously wash your hands of responsibility.
If operations are not the answer, then tell the people what is. Present your roadmap. Conduct peace negotiations, involve the community, engage experts—but act. Don’t just speak. And if you’re not willing to act, then have the decency to vacate the chair you occupy. That chair is not meant for commentary; it’s meant for leadership. The burden of that position demands decisions, whether military, political, or administrative. To neither operate nor negotiate is not an option.
Let me be clear: I have never supported military operations as a long-term solution. Twenty-two years of continuous military campaigns have brought only temporary relief, not lasting peace. But if operations are to be ruled out, then those in power must offer alternatives. Saying “operations are not the solution” without providing a solution is not leadership it’s cowardice.
The people of the newly merged tribal districts are a prime example of the state’s abandonment. These districts, once known as FATA, were forcibly merged into Pakhtunkhwa against the wishes of the local population. I covered their rallies. I listened to tribal elders. Not once did they demand to be part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Their preference was to either reform the colonial-era FCR or be granted a separate province. But those demands were ignored, and a hasty merger was imposed—without consultation, without infrastructure, and without commitment.
Today, we hear that the government is recruiting just 300 police officers for all seven ex-FATA districts. These are vast, mountainous, underdeveloped regions with the weakest policing infrastructure in the country. Even 3,000 officers would be insufficient. What revolution are you expecting from 300 recruits? The federal government had promised to allocate Rs. 100 billion annually for ten years to bring these tribal areas on par with settled regions. That promise, too, remains unfulfilled. Where is the development? Where is the education, the healthcare, the employment? Where is the justice?
Let’s also be honest about the so-called division between the federal and provincial governments. People ask: does Islamabad want operations while Peshawar wants talks? The truth is, neither side is serious. They are two sides of the same rotten coin. Neither the provincial government nor the federal government is willing to take full ownership of the security crisis. We have witnessed this irresponsibility before. Who can forget former Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s infamous remark to the Taliban: “Don’t attack Punjab, we don’t say anything to you.” Is this what leadership looks like? Is this how you protect a nation?
Even our security forces, the only ones still standing on the frontlines, are abandoned. Their funerals are unattended by those in power. Our leaders do not even have the basic decency to show up for the men who died in the line of duty. If the provincial and federal governments are serious about ending this crisis, they must come to the same page and act decisively. If they believe in talks, then let it be a structured, inclusive, and transparent process. If they believe in operations, let it be planned, resourced, and accountable. But they must choose. This criminal indecision is costing lives.
Today, this region is being torn apart. This belt may now be part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in name, but for the past decade, both Islamabad and Peshawar have done nothing but neglect it. It is time to stop making excuses. It is time to stop playing politics with the lives of the people. You cannot remain in power, live in protected zones, draw salaries from the national exchequer, and then say “this is not my responsibility.” Power without accountability is tyranny.
If you cannot serve the people, step aside. Let someone else try. Otherwise, the people of Pakhtunkhwa, the people of Pakistan, will remember. And history will not forgive.
