KP govt strengthening police in line with Imran Khan’s vision: CM Sohail Afridi

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi Friday said the provincial government was strengthening the police force in line with the vision of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.

Addressing police personnel at Police Lines Peshawar, the chief minister said that for the past two decades the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police had remained on the frontline in the fight against terrorism and had never hesitated to render sacrifices.

He said the provincial government stood firmly with the police and that all operational and welfare needs were being met on an emergency basis. He added that since assuming office, the government had provided Rs7.7 billion to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), while a package of Rs7.2 billion had been approved for the Special Branch.

The chief minister said the CTD and Special Branch were being further strengthened through additional recruitments and development of infrastructure. He said Rs6.5 billion had been released for security infrastructure and police capacity building in the merged districts.

He further said an additional grant of Rs3.8 billion had been approved for the Safe Cities project, which was being extended to divisional headquarters and merged districts along with Peshawar.

The chief minister expressed confidence that the province would soon be rid of the scourge of terrorism, adding that the police had been kept free from political interference in line with the vision of the PTI founder.

Referring to the May 9 cases, he said pressure was being put on the police for political purposes and urged that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police be allowed to remain apolitical.

He said a jirga held in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had unanimously agreed that military operations were not a solution to problems, and stressed the need for a comprehensive and long-term counterterrorism policy formulated in consultation with political and religious parties and tribal elders.

He also condemned the recent attacks in Balochistan, expressed grief over the loss of lives and conveyed sympathy with the affected families.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police was fully prepared to deal with any unpleasant situation.