Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday called for greater political ownership of the fight against terrorism, acknowledging that a lack of support for security forces had undermined previous counterterrorism efforts as the provincial government announced a new plan to strengthen the police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). The proposed allocation included Rs59.8b for the police and Rs10.3b for the CTD, with the government aiming to improve security infrastructure, provide modern equipment and address staffing shortages, according to a presentation by Adviser for Home and Tribal Affairs Kifayatullah Khan and Home Secretary Amjad Ali Khan at the Governor House. “The first, second and third priority of this government is security,” Kundi told journalists, reiterating Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's words spoken in a previous cabinet meeting. “Development is also necessary, but the best development is to strengthen our police.” He added that the provincial government would provide the police with the weapons, ammunition, and other resources they needed to carry out their duties. The government also approved compensation packages for police personnel killed in the line of duty and was working on improving other benefits. The presentation outlined a series of targets for the police and CTD, including reducing the police manpower shortfall, improving surveillance and expanding the department’s presence across the province. Officials said the government intended to complete its immediate measures within 100 days, with a further set of targets to be achieved within 180 days. Read: K-P to fill 17,000 vacant police posts Addressing the briefing, Kundi said a lack of political ownership had been one of the biggest shortcomings in the province’s previous approach to counterterrorism. “There was a time when the response was that this was not our war,” he said. “But when a family loses a martyr, what do you think they would say? Did their loved one sacrifice their life for this soil, for this country, or for some particular agenda?” He said the provincial government would stand alongside the security forces and ensure that the police were properly equipped to take the lead in frontline operations. Kundi recalled that the provincial government had convened an Apex Committee meeting on its first working day and subsequently held what he described as the largest such meeting in Pakistan’s history in Peshawar. The meeting was attended by the prime minister, federal ministers, the field marshal and senior security officials. He said the provincial government had presented its requirements, including a request for Rs160b, which PM Shehbaz agreed to support. “We have also held follow-up meetings in Islamabad and explained in detail what we want to do,” Kundi said, adding that coordination with the federal government had improved. Also read: K-P Area Development Council holds meeting “We should always put forward our demands with reason and arguments,” he said, rejecting confrontational approaches to securing federal support. The governor also called for better facilities for police personnel in the merged districts, pointing out that not even a single police line had been established there since the merger. He said the government had directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan to upgrade police stations, posts, lines and offices in the former tribal areas, including providing proper facilities and equipment. Kundi said the provincial government would also improve police welfare packages and the Security Challenge Allowance. He added that the government wanted police salaries and benefits to be competitive with those offered in other provinces. The governor highlighted that the provincial government’s security policy would be aligned with the federal government’s position, “Our decisions and policies will come from Islamabad, not Jalalabad, Kandahar or Kabul,” he said. He accused the Afghan Taliban government of allowing its territory to be used by India and Israel against Pakistan, and questioned the previous provincial government’s response to statements by Afghan officials threatening to take control of Peshawar. He also referred to drones that had crossed the border, saying some had been intercepted by Pakistani forces. Read: High-level huddle on K-P agrees to scale up IBOs Kundi said Pakistan had raised the issue at international forums, with the Foreign Office, foreign minister and deputy prime minister taking it up in their diplomatic engagements. “There can be no dialogue with those who do not recognise the state, the Constitution and the law,” he said. “Those who take up arms against the state will be answered in the same language.” He rejected narratives that portrayed the fight against terrorism as someone else’s war, insisting that the province had a direct stake in defeating terrorist groups. “This is absolutely our war,” he said. The governor also urged the provincial government to learn from security and administrative measures adopted by Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, saying successful initiatives in other provinces should be considered and improved upon rather than dismissed. Kundi also said that restoring public confidence was essential to the success of counterterrorism operations, recalling the campaign against terrorism in the province between 2008 and 2013. He said the public had supported operations in Swat, including the return and rehabilitation of displaced residents, but said that some former terrorists who had been repatriated from Afghanistan or released from prison had later taken up arms again. Read more: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa - terrorism and politics “The police have a direct connection with the people of every area,” he said. “They have to build that confidence, and they can do it.” Kundi said police outreach would include meetings with tribal elders, jirgas, open courts and engagement with religious scholars to address public grievances. The presentation also proposed strengthening dispute resolution councils (DRCs), already established in all districts, and extending their work to tehsil level. He said youth engagement would also be a priority, as K-P had a large young population. The government planned to use sports events, employment initiatives and other programmes to involve young people in positive activities. “Once people’s confidence is restored, half the battle will have been won,” he said. The governor stressed that development projects would have limited value without security, saying children needed to be able to attend school and return home safely, while adults needed to travel for work and business without fear. “You can build roads, flyovers and a beautiful city, but what is the use if people are not safe?” he said. He added that the government would not retreat from its counterterrorism efforts. “We have reached a point where there is no turning back. The word defeat should not be in our dictionary.” Home Secretary Amjad Ali Khan told the briefing that the police and CTD faced significant shortages in personnel, equipment and infrastructure. He said the previous provincial government had allocated only 3.2 per cent of its total security budget to the merged districts, while police personnel in those areas continued to work from temporary arrangements and buildings nearly eight years after the merger of the former tribal areas with K-P. The police force was short of 10,537 personnel, while the CTD had 638 vacant field operator positions, he added. The police also faced a 36 per cent shortage of operational vehicles, and only 12 per cent of the force had access to anti-drone systems. Khan said 15,186 former Khassadar personnel had been absorbed into the police following the merger, but many had not received adequate training. The department also needed to strengthen its mid-level management and improve the recruitment process for specialist personnel. He added that Rs6.4bn had been approved for restoring counterterrorism infrastructure in 22 districts, but only Rs1bn had been released. The presentation stated that the CTD, established in 2014, had only 12 purpose-built facilities across the province’s 37 districts. The government planned to expand its infrastructure and operational reach, including establishing facilities in 34 districts. Khan also presented figures for casualties between 2024 and September 2026. During that period, 1,003 members of the armed forces, 627 police personnel and 808 civilians had been killed, according to the briefing. In 2026 up to September, the figures stood at 255 soldiers, 302 police personnel and 304 civilians. Despite the shortages, security forces had killed 3,788 terrorists over the previous three years, he said. Targets set for police and CTD Under the proposed spending plan, the government intends to allocate Rs33.4b to police infrastructure and Rs26.4b to procurement. The CTD’s Rs10.3b allocation would include Rs5.4b for infrastructure and Rs4.9b for procurement. The presentation set a target of increasing police fortification to 75 per cent and raising surveillance coverage from 15 per cent to 60 per cent. It also aimed to increase the force’s night-fighting capacity from 18 per cent to 50 per cent and its anti-drone capability from one per cent to 50 per cent. Other targets included increasing the availability of armoured police vehicles from 19 per cent to 45 per cent, raising armoured personnel carrier availability from 61 per cent to 80 per cent, and improving overall vehicle availability from 50 per cent to 70 per cent within six months. The availability of jamming equipment was to rise from 40 per cent to 50 per cent. For the CTD, the government planned to increase counter-drone and fighting capabilities from 52 per cent to 60 per cent, raise vehicle availability from 50 per cent to 80 per cent and improve vehicle armouring from 16 per cent to 70 per cent. It also aimed to increase jammer availability from three per cent to 50 per cent and eliminate the 79 per cent shortfall in protective equipment. The government intended to reduce the police manpower shortage from 15 per cent to five per cent, fill vacant CTD field operator positions and accelerate recruitment through the Public Service Commission and other channels. Specialist training, including in drone technology, anti-drone systems, sniping and explosive-device disposal, would also be arranged in collaboration with the Pakistan Army. Read more: PHC strikes off petitions against emergency, governor’s rule from cause list The plan included establishing District Nerve Centres in around 10 districts to bring intelligence and operational information together, alongside expanding Safe City projects. The government also planned to introduce anti-drone systems in vulnerable areas, including Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat and Bannu. Other measures included satellite-based audio and video communication systems for areas without reliable connectivity, police facilitation centres with online services for overseas Pakistanis, and smart front desks at 406 police stations in major cities. The presentation also proposed legislation for a Safe City Authority and amendments to establish faceless anti-terrorism courts. Khan said the proposed courts would help protect witnesses, prosecutors and judges, while allowing cases against terrorists to be concluded more quickly. The government planned to use artificial intelligence to monitor social media activity and counter what officials referred to as the narrative of “Fitna al-Khawarij”. The presentation also proposed strengthening the link between surveillance systems, drones and police databases. Funding for merged di