Atta Tarar raises questions over KP Govt’s response to rising terrorism

The increasing terrorism in the province has put a big question mark on the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and what officials called a non-serious attitude.

There have been 2,456 terrorist occurrences in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year which means roughly 10 attacks each day, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said. He said the attacks had claimed 472 lives of civilians and security personnel, which works out to be about two deaths a day on an average.

Meanwhile, the minister said the province had also suffered 1,584 injuries or disabilities due to terrorism (about seven persons a day). He said Afghan nationals were involved in 19 suicide attacks reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.

The security situation in the province has also been compounded by cross-border shooting and drone attacks from Afghan territory. The KP government has maintained to insist on negotiations with Afghanistan despite conducting operations against terrorists.

The provincial government has also been condemned for not taking necessary efforts to implement the National Action Plan to prevent terrorism. The province also faces the issues of extortion, kidnapping for ransom and link between crime and terrorism.

The silence of KP administration on terrorism and suspected Afghan incursions, its absence from funerals, failure to convene Apex Committee meetings and lack of measures to improve the capacities of police and Counter Terrorism Department have also been questioned.

Tarar’s words came as security concerns are rising in KP where militant violence has remained a serious burden. In 2026, more terrorist acts occur in the province, according to independent data.