Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi met the families of the martyrs of the Kohat Police Lines terrorist attack and expressed his condolences. On the occasion, he announced financial assistance for the families of those martyrs who are not covered under the government’s martyrs’ compensation package.

The chief minister paid tribute to the police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and all personnel who bravely fought the terrorists in the Kohat incident. He said the martyrs who fought courageously against the terrorists sacrificed their lives to protect the nation.

He prayed that Allah Almighty elevate the ranks of the martyrs and grant patience to their bereaved families.

Sohail Afridi said the Kohat District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital would be provided with all necessary and essential medical equipment. He added that the mosque damaged in the blast and the Special Branch police station would also be rebuilt.

He said he had already announced the construction of a 1,000-bed hospital in Kohat, which would be completed in the shortest possible time.

The chief minister said that since his government came to power, an additional Rs35 billion had been allocated to equip the police with modern weapons, while the police budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 had been increased to Rs190 billion. He said sustainable peace could not be established in the province without strengthening the police.

He said members of the provincial assembly had also provided resources for the police by cutting their development budgets.

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Sohail Afridi said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been fighting the war against terrorism continuously for 22 years, from 2004 to the present. He said the same policy had been followed for 22 years without producing results and that it was now time to change the policy.

He said his government was proposing a policy to eliminate terrorism, but no one was ready to pay attention to it. He claimed that the federal government’s policy on terrorism had completely failed.

The chief minister said the federal government and institutions were focused entirely on eliminating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and keeping Imran Khan in jail. He alleged that political revenge was the federal government’s priority, rather than eliminating terrorism and protecting the public.

Speaking about Afghanistan, Sohail Afridi said peace had prevailed in Pakistan during Imran Khan’s government despite the presence of an India-friendly government in Afghanistan. He said meetings over tea had been held with the current Afghan government, but relations had still not improved.

He said relations with Afghanistan had not improved, the border remained closed, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had suffered losses of more than Rs8 billion during the last fiscal year. He added that the continued closure of the border would also cause economic losses to the province during the current fiscal year.

The chief minister said the Punjab chief minister had stated that she faced a threat not from India but from Pakistan’s three smaller provinces. He said the statement meant that the state narrative was incorrect and that Pakistan did not face a threat from “Fitna-e-Hindustan.”

Sohail Afridi reiterated that financial assistance would also be provided to the families of martyrs who do not fall under the government’s martyrs’ compensation package.