PESHAWAR: Amid rising incidents of terrorism, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has decided to convene a “peace jirga” in the provincial assembly.
Former chief ministers, governors, religious scholars, tribal elders, civil society representatives, lawyers, and other prominent figures will be invited to the jirga.
Afridi chaired a meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s senior leadership at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar. The meeting was attended by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Junaid Akbar, Asad Qaiser, and other party leaders.
The participants discussed the province’s law and order situation and expressed grief over the deaths in the recent Hangu bomb blast. They offered prayers for the police personnel martyred in the attack and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the force.
Afridi said the jirga aims to develop a joint strategy for the eradication of terrorism and the establishment of lasting peace in the province.
وزیرِ اعلیٰ ہاؤس پشاور میں پاکستان تحریکِ انصاف کی سینئر قیادت کا اہم اجلاس
اجلاس میں صوبے کی امن و امان کی صورتحال پر تفصیلی غور
حالیہ ہنگو بم دھماکے کے واقعے پر شرکاء کا اظہارِ افسوس اور شہید پولیس اہلکاروں کے ایصالِ ثواب کے لیے دعا،
اجلاس میں خیبر پختونخوا اسمبلی میں امن… pic.twitter.com/2we5PTi9AL
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 25, 2025
He reiterated that the provincial government stands shoulder to shoulder with the police, adding that providing modern equipment, training, and resources to the force remains the government’s top priority.
Earlier on Friday, two explosions rocked the Hangu district, targeting police personnel and infrastructure.
According to police, the first blast occurred within the jurisdiction of the Bilyamina police station, where unidentified assailants blew up the Gulmina police post. The explosion destroyed a nearby room of the post, though no casualties were reported.
Soon after the incident, a police contingent reached the site to secure the area and begin an investigation. However, as SP (Operations) Asad Zubair and his team were on their way to inspect the damaged post, a second explosion struck their vehicle.
Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Zulfiqar Hameed confirmed that SP Asad Zubair and three police personnel were martyred in the attack.
He said the SP had been heading to the site of the first explosion when his vehicle was targeted.
The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, while security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to locate the perpetrators.
IG Hameed said an investigation into the Hangu blasts is underway. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the twin attacks.