KP CM Sohail Afridi slams 'closed-door decisions' after deadly Bannu attack

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday criticised what he described as decisions imposed “behind closed doors”, warning that the provincial government would oppose any policy that undermined peace in the province or harmed the interests of its people.

The chief minister made the remarks during a visit to Bannu following the deadly suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police post in which 15 police personnel were martyred and three others injured.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister House, Afridi met the families of the martyred officials, offered Fateha for the deceased and later visited injured personnel at a hospital, directing authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment for them.

The chief minister paid tribute to the bravery of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police in the fight against terrorism and stressed that the people of the province must stand up for their rights.

“We have been continuously saying that terrorists are once again rearing their heads, but decisions behind closed doors have been imposed on us for the last 78 years,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Afridi maintained that such “imposed policies” had pushed the province into a state of unrest and instability.

“We have made immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. Further unrest is unacceptable,” he asserted.

The chief minister said the provincial government and police would jointly continue the fight against militancy and vowed to resist every decision that threatened peace or went against public interests in the province.

“The sacrifices of our martyred personnel will not go in vain,” he said, adding that restoring lasting peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the government’s top priority.