By Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR: The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has come under intense criticism after questioning the conduct of security forces in counterterrorism operations, drawing swift rebukes from political and religious leaders who accused him of ingratitude, incitement and undermining national morale at a time when the military is bearing heavy losses in the fight against militant groups.
The comments by the chief minister, Sohail Afridi, were delivered on Thursday in a heated exchange with reporters outside Adiala jail, where he had been barred yet again from meeting with Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Afridi charged that the sanctity of mosques had been breached by the introduction of sniffer dogs and leveled other disparaging remarks at security personnel, even as he maintained that his party continued to back the forces.
By Friday, the backlash was swift and unrelenting. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assailed the remarks as a “provocative statement” that had crossed “all limits of ingratitude in a province where the highest number of soldiers had embraced martyrdom.” In a pointed rebuke, Naqvi said the comments about Pakistan’s “brave sons” to be “intolerable, baseless and factually incorrect.” “No patriotic person can make such a statement about the courageous officers and soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the peace of the nation.”
Naqvi went further, suggesting that Afridi’s words were an effort to appease the “eternal enemy,” and praised the armed forces’ contributions. “The entire nation and the world the unmatched sacrifices of our security forces. The officers and soldiers of the security forces have nurtured peace with their precious lives.”
The episode highlights the deepening fissures between Afridi’s provincial government and federal authorities amid ongoing intelligence-based operations aimed at quelling militancy in the northwest. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of such efforts, with thousands of soldiers killed in the fight against insurgents.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa joined the chorus of disapproval in a statement posted on the social media platform X. “I condemn any rhetoric that seeks to undermine the honour and sacrifice of our armed forces,” he wrote, adding that the “brave sons of soil lay down their lives to protect our province and questioning their intent in sensational terms only damaged morale and public safety.”
“The intelligence-based operations have been and will remain necessary to protect our people; these are conducted with the sole aim of safeguarding civilians and restoring peace. Political debate must not cross into actions or words that weaken our security institutions.” He implored Afridi to “exercise restraint and place the safety and unity of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa above partisan posturing,” emphasising that “the security situation of our province demands that all political forces stand with our armed forces in pursuit of lasting peace and stability for our people. Ultimately, it is the people who will deliver accountability in the coming elections.”
From the opposition benches, Senator Aimal Wali Khan, president of the Awami National Party, warned that Afridi’s position as chief minister “required maturity” and labelled the statement an “attempt to incite religious sentiments.” In remarks, Khan said pursuing a “collision course” was “absolutely not in the interest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” “The chief minister’s statement was aimed at inciting religious sentiments and a sane person would not even imagine doing so.”
Khan called the comments “disrespectful of mosques” and warn sentiment could cause further frictions with the state institutions. As chief minister, Khan said, it fell to Afridi “to reduce differences and misunderstandings instead of increasing them further.” He posed a rhetorical question about “what would be the fate of the province in such a situation” and urged Afridi to “fight a constitutional battle for his leadership through courts instead of confrontation and pay attention to the affairs of the province.”
While acknowledging institutional shortcomings, “the establishment should also respect mandate and the CM must get his protocol”, Khan stressed that Afridi “should better realise the importance of his position.”
The condemnation extended beyond the province. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti denounced the statement as “irresponsible” and “an attempt to strengthen the enemy’s narrative.” He reminded Afridi that security forces had “restored peace from Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by sacrificing thousands of lives” and insisted that he “should apologise to the nation and the families of the martyrs for his irresponsible statement, as the mockery of security institutions could not be tolerated.”
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