Law and order: Governor, CM and IGP need to focus on DI Khan

PESHAWAR: With the appointment of key officials from Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) district, i.e. the governor, chief minister and inspector general of police, hopes are high for a renewed focus on restoring peace and improving law and order in the southern district.

Faisal Karim Kundi, a native of Dera Ismail Khan, recently assumed office as the governor of KP after he was picked by the Pakistan People’s Party. He has vowed concerted efforts with the provincial government to enhance security across the region. Preceding Kundi, Ali Amin Gandapur, also from DIK, was elected as the chief minister, further underscoring the district’s prominence in provincial governance.

Moreover, the incumbent Inspector General of Police (IGP), Akhtar Hayat Khan, hails from Dera Ismail Khan.All of these top officials need to focus on improving law and order in Dera Ismail Khan and southern districts as well as the entire province where terrorist attacks have recorded an increase for the last almost three years.

The Dera Ismail Khan district, alongside other towns in the region, has been plagued by a surge in terrorist attacks since mid-2021, with the frequency of these incidents escalating in recent months.

Along with security forces, the police establishments and vehicles of government departments have come under attack a number of times in Dera Ismail Khan and some other southern districts in the past few months. Several lives were lost in these attacks.

Despite numerous security operations resulting in the arrests and killing of several militants in the volatile areas of Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu, the situation remains precarious.To address the persistent security challenges and other pressing issues, it is imperative for the governor and the chief minister to collaborate closely and implement immediate and effective measures.

Both the top government functionaries do not seem to be on good terms but they will have to develop working relations for the sake of the province.The CM and his cabinet members were conspicuous by their absence at the oath taking ceremony of the new governor of the province, which was criticised by many.

Both the top government functionaries reside just opposite to each other on the same road but sometime they avoid meeting each other, especially when the two different parties are in power in Center and province. Such discord only exacerbates the problems faced by the province and its residents.