Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in crisis: Militants operate freely as state fails to protect citizens, HRCP warns

Peshawar [Pakistan] September 27 (ANI): The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has sounded the alarm over the worsening security environment in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the merged tribal districts, warning that terrorist outfits appear to be operating with impunity in several regions, as reported by The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt and Co-Chairperson Munizae Jahangir observed that the writ of the state was virtually absent in certain districts. He highlighted how residents are facing intimidation, extortion, and even curfews imposed by militant groups after sunset.

The fact-finding mission stated that communities had linked escalating violence, forced displacement, security operations, and the proposed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Mines and Minerals Act 2025 to resource competition. The team expressed particular concern over the killings in Tirah, demanding a transparent probe while stressing that both the provincial and federal governments must assume responsibility rather than shifting blame.

The HRCP also denounced the continuation of the controversial Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance 2019, which legalises preventive custody and detention centres. HRCP warned that enforced disappearances remain a critical problem, with thousands of unresolved cases pointing to weak regulatory and judicial oversight. Additionally, the mission expressed scepticism over the revival of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms backed by segments of the legal community, warning that such practices could create a parallel justice system and erode the rule of law, as cited by The Express Tribune.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PML-N President, Engineer Amir Muqam, during a visit to Bara tehsil of Khyber district, met families of victims of the Tirah incident. The HRCP’s findings highlight the urgency of restoring law and order in K-P, where residents continue to suffer amid unchecked militancy and inadequate state protection, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)

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