SWAT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi inaugurated and launched multiple development projects in Swat worth billions of rupees while calling for the restoration of tax exemptions for Malakand Division and the merged districts and urging a review of the country's security policy.

The chief minister inaugurated the University of Computing Sciences and Information Technology in Kabal, established at a cost of Rs9.9 billion. According to an official briefing, the university currently offers four BS programmes and two MS programmes, with 269 students enrolled.

He also inaugurated the Badalai Bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs395 million, the Special Children School and Special Children Teacher Training Centre, completed at a cost of Rs214 million, and the Kabal Police Facilitation Centre.

The police facilitation centre will provide services including police clearance certificates, character certificates, driving licence renewals, vehicle verification and several other public services.

In addition, Afridi laid the foundation stone of the Wenai–Gatt Road project, which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs1.437 billion.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the university, the chief minister credited former federal minister Murad Saeed for initiating the project, describing him as "a political mentor for the youth" who worked tirelessly for Swat's development. He said the university project was completed after the land was recovered from illegal occupiers.

Afridi said the provincial government would ensure full funding for the completion of Shaheed Arshad Sharif University and other educational campuses.

Referring to the tax status of Malakand Division and the merged tribal districts, the chief minister said that in 2018, then-prime minister Imran Khan had exempted the region from taxes through a single executive decision. He urged the federal government to immediately restore the tax exemption instead of engaging in what he termed “political theatrics.”

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He announced that a meeting of parliamentarians and leaders of all political parties had been convened for Thursday to discuss the tax issue affecting Malakand Division and the merged districts.

Afridi expressed confidence that the 2026–27 fiscal year would be a year of peace, development and prosperity for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Commenting on the security situation, he said decisions taken "behind closed doors" had repeatedly pushed the province back into terrorism despite the sacrifices of around 80,000 people. He questioned why decisive success against "a few thousand militants" had remained elusive after decades of conflict, saying the situation raised serious questions about the existing security policy.

"If terrorism cannot be eliminated under the current approach, then the policy must be reviewed seriously," he said.

The chief minister vowed to oppose any policy that, in his view, undermines the interests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that lasting peace cannot be achieved under the present strategy.

He said sustainable development was impossible without peace and warned that those seeking stability were becoming increasingly disillusioned with current policies.

Afridi maintained that lasting peace in the province would be achieved through the sacrifices and efforts of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). He added that if any policy prioritised vested interests over peace in the province, his government would strongly resist it.