PM Shehbaz vows to eliminate terrorism, says lasting peace in KP inevitable

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the state was fully determined to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country, stressing that the establishment of lasting peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had become inevitable.

Addressing participants of a KP security workshop in Islamabad, the prime minister said the government was taking practical steps to further improve the law and order situation in the province. He described Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as one of the country’s most important and strategic regions and said it had made unparalleled sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

He said national security remained the government’s top priority and a comprehensive strategy was being adopted to address both internal and external security challenges. Paying tribute to the sacrifices of security forces, the prime minister said the nation must remain united to counter terrorism.

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Referring to past efforts, Shehbaz Sharif said there was no distinction between “good” and “bad” Taliban and questioned why terrorism had re-emerged after Pakistan had earlier succeeded in curbing militancy. He recalled that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had voted in favour of Pakistan in a historic referendum and said other provinces had contributed Rs800 billion from their own shares to help combat terrorism in KP.

On regional issues, the prime minister said Pakistan had hosted nearly four million Afghans over the years, adding that Afghanistan would have to decide whether it wanted to live peacefully.

Commenting on relations between the federal government and the KP administration, he said he had called KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to congratulate him on assuming office, but there had been no further contact. He said the federal government wanted to bring stability to the province through public welfare and development projects in education, health and infrastructure.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border terrorist incidents since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, with KP and Balochistan being the most affected provinces.

According to ISPR, security forces and law enforcement agencies carried out more than 75,000 intelligence-based operations across the country in 2025 under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” campaign. During the year, over 5,300 terrorism incidents were reported nationwide, and 2,597 terrorists were killed in counterterrorism operations.