Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a tinderbox, and the escalating showdown between Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi is pouring fuel on the fire. Reports warn that this power struggle is exacerbating a terrorism crisis in one of the country’s most unstable regions, where attacks have spiked dramatically.
Afridi’s focus has been on rolling out Safe Cities infrastructure. High-level reviews led to camera deployments: 711 in Peshawar, 88 in Dera Ismail Khan, 76 in Bannu, and 47 in Lakki Marwat. The blueprint includes phased expansion to volatile merged tribal districts, aiming to fortify surveillance, crime prevention, and real-time policing via command centers—seen as vital for provincial security.
Kundi, however, branded it a smokescreen. Speaking to the press, he lambasted Afridi for gallivanting at rallies while lawlessness reigns. Citing daily hits on police, soldiers, and officials—like the Tank IED attack claiming seven lives and surges in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan—he called for aggressive military pushback, empowered CTD units, and trained local forces.
Pointing to drone explosives with clear Afghan ties, Kundi implored unity with federal bodies over political games, cautioning that rally-chasing leaders accelerate ‘Talibanization.’ Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar echoed this, rebuking Afridi’s Afghan remarks for aiding TTP propaganda and minimizing the group’s dangers.
The numbers paint a grim picture. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw 702 terror events in 2024, with 1,363 fatalities—288 civilians, 421 security personnel, 654 militants—a 44.84% rise from 2023’s 941 deaths. Early 2025 brought 1,588 CTD cases, 500+ assaults, and 510 police-targeted strikes. Forces neutralized 420 terrorists and arrested 1,244 suspects, yet Bannu, Hangu, and Peshawar remain under siege, often tracing back to Afghan sanctuaries.
Kundi accused PTI rulers of neglecting basics like healthcare and roads, stressing federal-provincial teamwork to avert disaster. In a province on the edge, this leadership discord risks unraveling hard-won gains against extremism.