Imran Khan has claimed that the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are very rich in oil and gas and, if fully tapped, can meet the demands of the whole country. However, he regrets that due to lack of security it is not possible to fully exploit these resources. Maintaining law and order is the responsibility of provinces. The budget allocation for the police department has increased from Rs8 billion to Rs33 billion since the PTI came to power in KP. Similarly, the strength of the police force has increased from 32,000 personnel to 80,000 personnel.
On top of it, the police have been asking educational and health institutions, provincial government setups and business organisations to manage their own security. In addition a big chunk of paramilitary and army personnel are also patrolling and manning various check posts. But in spite of all this, the law and order situation in KP is very poor. Imran Khan has appointed his handpicked police chief for whom he has all the praise. And according to him, there is no political interference in the force too.
Zahir Shah
Peshawar