MIANWALI:
With growing security concerns in the border regions of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), authorities have ramped up coordination between the two provinces to combat terrorism, smuggling, and cross-border criminal activity.
Mianwali, Punjab’s last district before the KP border, shares boundaries with districts such as Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Kohat, and Dera Ismail Khan.
Its strategic location and mountainous terrain have long posed challenges, enabling outlaws and militants to slip into KP, where they often evade Punjab police jurisdiction. The cultural and linguistic ties between residents of Mianwali — especially in Tehsil Isa Khel — and neighbouring KP districts are deep-rooted.
Many families here speak Pashto and have ancestral connections across the provincial border, with a significant portion of the population originally migrating from KP.
The recent wave of terrorist incidents in Bannu, Waziristan, and Lakki Marwat has had ripple effects in Mianwali.
In response, local police intensified operations, reportedly killing 30 foreign terrorists while tragically losing one police officer in the line of duty.
Recognising the critical security situation, Inspector General of KP Police Zulfiqar Hameed visited Mianwali and inspected several key checkpoints along the border, including Dara Tang, Qabulwala, Chachali Patrol Post, and the mountainous regions of Makarwal, Mullakhel, Karandi, and Baba Khassa Shrine.
These locations are considered high-risk transit routes for militants and fugitives.
The visit included high-level briefings and a security meeting where both provinces discussed strategies to improve cross-border coordination and fortify joint security measures.
Also present were senior officials including RPO Kohat Jawad Khan, RPO Bannu Sajjad Khan, DPOs of Karak and Lakki Marwat, and officers from Mianwali’s investigation unit. In a bid to restore public confidence, police have increased visibility in high-risk areas.
RPO Sargodha now visits border regions twice weekly, while DPO Mianwali makes frequent trips to police stations and outposts.
Local tribal elders and community leaders have also been engaged through jirgas, strengthening community-police ties.
A robust patrolling system is now in place, and under the leadership of DPO Capt (retd) Rai Ajmal, flag marches have been conducted to assert police presence and deter criminal activity. These efforts have not only reassured local residents but also helped create a strong social resistance against foreign militants.
Many retired military personnel and peace-loving Pashto-speaking residents in these border areas are reportedly acting as the first line of defence, rejecting the presence of any external threats.
In a telling anecdote, a police reader once remarked that despite Mianwali’s highly sensitive geographic position, it has remained relatively secure even when terrorism was rampant in places like Peshawar and Islamabad.
