PESHAWAR: A brewing controversy has emerged over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s reported outreach to the 11 Corps for a direct security briefing, a move that critics and federal authorities are labeling as a “theatrical” departure from established state procedures.
The core of the friction lies in the chain of command. While the PTI-led KP government has reportedly sought direct engagement with the Peshawar-based 11 Corps, constitutional experts and federal officials point out that such requests are legally mandated to be routed through the Federal Government.
A provincial request must first reach the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Defence, which then communicates with General Headquarters (GHQ). In a recent press conference (January 6, 2026), the DG ISPR, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, emphasized that the Army is a federal force operating under federal directives, warning against “political interference” in counter-terrorism domains.
The KP administration, led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, has recently called for a “policy shift,” urging that the province be taken into confidence before any military operations. However, the report suggests this is more about optics than administrative efficiency.
“Terrorism cannot be managed through theatrics. It demands institutional discipline and clarity of mandate qualities that critics say are conspicuously absent from the current provincial approach.”
The controversy comes at a time when KP remains the epicentre of militant violence. Over 82% of the national rise in fatalities in 2025 occurred in KP. Just this week, security forces eliminated 11 militants in North Waziristan and Kurram, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing kinetic operations.
Observers note that the timing of these ad-hoc provincial gestures coincides with PTI’s “political reversals” in major urban centres like Lahore and Karachi. With the party’s street-movement narrative facing erosion, critics argue that administrative “spectacles” in KP are being used to maintain political relevance.
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