PESHAWAR: The PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has reduced a reported Rs42 billion security funding request for police, limiting additional resources sought for equipment and counterterrorism operations as militant attacks continue to pose a major challenge in the province.
The funding issue has emerged amid renewed debate over the provincial government’s handling of counterterrorism, with federal officials questioning the use of resources allocated to KP for security and asking the province to strengthen its police and counterterrorism infrastructure.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar recently demanded a year-wise account of counterterrorism funds provided to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the National Finance Commission framework.
Tarar questioned whether the funds had been used to strengthen police, improve security infrastructure and expand counterterrorism capacity. He also raised questions about the absence of Safe City systems in several parts of the province and the lack of a provincial forensic laboratory.
The minister further criticised the provincial government’s preparedness, questioning whether police personnel had adequate bulletproof jackets, modern weapons and other equipment needed to confront militants.
His remarks came as KP continues to face militant attacks targeting police, security installations and civilians. A recent attack on a police compound in Kohat killed 21 people and wounded more than 100, according to police and rescue officials. The compound housed the Counter Terrorism Department and Special Branch offices.
Tarar also accused the PTI-led provincial government of maintaining what he described as a soft approach towards the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Afghan Taliban, linking the criticism to the earlier policy of returning and resettling militants in settled areas. These are political allegations made by the federal minister and have been disputed by PTI leaders.
The funding controversy has also drawn attention to the resources already allocated to KP police.
According to the province’s 2026-27 budget, Rs14.5 billion was allocated specifically for police procurement. The allocation includes funds for modern weapons and ammunition, bulletproof vehicles and armoured personnel carriers, thermal cameras, anti-drone systems, communication equipment, bulletproof vests and helmets.
The budget also includes allocations for Safe City projects, drone-based policing and a forensic science laboratory.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has rejected criticism that his government is neglecting the police. He said the provincial government provided an additional Rs35 billion to police during the 2025-26 fiscal year by reallocating funds from the development budget.
Afridi has also said the police budget was increased to about Rs191 billion for 2026-27 and that the government was strengthening police manpower, operational capacity and specialised security units.
The chief minister has argued that additional resources alone cannot resolve the province’s security crisis and has called for a change in the federal government’s counterterrorism policy.
The competing claims have put the spotlight on whether existing allocations are reaching frontline police units at a time when the force is facing sustained pressure from militant violence.
A recent white paper on KP’s security situation reported a sharp rise in police casualties and militant attacks, although the figures and assessments in the document have not been independently verified. It reported 122 police deaths in the first six months of 2026, compared with 63 during the same period in 2025.
The provincial government’s official budget documents list the police demands and allocations for 2026-27, while the precise details of the reported Rs42 billion security request and its reduction to Rs14 billion require attribution to the underlying police or government correspondence.
With militants continuing to target law-enforcement personnel and security installations, the dispute over funding has become part of a wider political argument between the federal government and the PTI-led KP administration over responsibility for counterterrorism and the use of security resources.
