DND Report
After begging for peace from terrorists in the form of “negotiation and dialogue” with the TTP and the Afghan regime during the Aman Jirga, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet on Friday approved the abolition of the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Act, a move the provincial government described as a critical step toward safeguarding constitutional rights and strengthening democratic norms.
However, those who understand the dynamics of security in the region have called this move a “total surrender to terrorists,” arguing that the decision is not about universal human rights but rather the fulfillment of the TTP’s agenda.
Security experts believe this is the second surrender of the KP government to terrorists; the first was the Aman Jirga on November 12, which issued a 15-point declaration demanding the reopening of all trade routes and a stronger border economy with Afghanistan. The outcome of these points was, in essence, a call for “dialogue and talks” with the Afghan Taliban to secure peace in a province that is unwilling to allow federal security forces to fight terrorism effectively.
These demands come at a time when the Afghan Taliban are openly using their proxies, such as the TTP, to target innocent civilians through suicide attacks — including the Islamabad court blast — and to attack children, as seen in the Wana Cadet College incident. Those familiar with the behind-the-scenes Pak–Afghan negotiations in Doha and Istanbul claim that the Afghan Taliban indirectly conveyed a message during the talks: “Keep the Pak–Afghan border open or face suicide bombings.” They later initiated the threats they had hinted at, attacking Wana Cadet College and Islamabad on the same day.
“When enemies are openly threatening and killing Pakistani citizens, and our armed forces are sacrificing their lives every single day to secure the country’s future, it is unfortunate — indeed shameful — that politicians are cowardly begging for ‘peace’ through dialogue with those whom Pakistan has already negotiated with for the last 20 years, only to face more aggression. Now the repeal of the Actions in Aid of Civil Power has confirmed that the KP government has left the province at the mercy of terrorists,” commented senior journalist Agha Iqrar Haroon, who covered the Afghan War from 1995 to 2003.
He stated that this is the same Act that has been used to save the lives of thousands of citizens over the past several years, provide legal cover to the police and army, and enable effective action against terrorists. Abolishing it, he said, is a deliberate attempt to provide relief to terrorists and tie the hands of the security forces.
The provincial government is deliberately creating the impression that the Act violates human rights, whereas in reality, the Act provides a framework for legal action against terrorist networks, facilitators, and their safe havens. This same Act brought peace to the very areas that the present government now seems prepared to hand back to terrorists.
This decision makes it clear that the priority of the current KP government is not the lives, peace, and security of its people but rather creating a soft corner for the TTP, absorbing their narrative into government policy, and paving the way for terrorism by maligning state institutions.
This is the same government that repeatedly asks for political space for terrorists, begs for talks with them, and now, by stripping away legal protections, is once again opening the door to bloodshed on the streets, in the bazaars, and in the schools of KP. This mindset is hostile not to the state, but to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa themselves.
The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have made the greatest sacrifices, suffered the most attacks, and witnessed the most martyrdoms. Revoking this Act is a betrayal of the blood of these martyrs and an insult to their families, who paid an enormous price for the survival of the state.
Shafi Jan’s (provincial Information spokesperson) claim that “the Act is against human rights” reflects extreme ignorance, malice, and political motivation. Human rights are violated when terrorists are given free rein — when schools are blown up, when policemen are buried — not when the state uses a legal framework to fight terrorism.
Instead of coordinating with the federation to address bomb blasts, suicide attacks, targeted killings, and cross-border terrorism, the provincial government is facilitating terrorists and obstructing state institutions.
This decision is a testament to the inexperience, incompetence, and dangerous thinking of the KP government — a mindset that prioritizes pleasing the TTP over protecting the people. When a provincial government itself begins dismantling the writ of the state, the enemy does not need another front.
Pakistan’s enemies are celebrating this decision, the TTP will benefit from it, and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will suffer the most. This decision should be withdrawn immediately, and state institutions fighting terrorism must be given full legal cover.
No one should act on the statements of these political opportunists. In the war against terrorism, the people of Pakistan and the security forces have made countless sacrifices — sacrifices that cannot be wasted because of the ignorance and foolishness of a few.
