A recent Gallup Pakistan survey indicates that a majority of citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are content with the security situation in their province and the government’s efforts to maintain law and order. The News reported on Sunday that the survey gathered responses from 3,000 individuals across the province.
Approximately 58% of participants stated their satisfaction with the security conditions in their areas, while 40% expressed dissatisfaction.
Concurrently, 58% were satisfied with the measures taken by the KP government to uphold law and order, in contrast to 38% who were not. A small percentage of 4% did not answer the question.
Furthermore, 57% of citizens conveyed fear of an escalation in terrorism, while 40% indicated no such fear, and 2% did not respond. Notably, 72% of residents in southern KP, including Dera Ismail Khan and Hangu, specifically voiced concerns about an increase in terrorist incidents.
The survey revealed a divided public opinion regarding the government’s success in counter-terrorism efforts: 50% believed the government was successful, while 44% viewed it as a failure.
According to the survey, 45% of KP residents found the provincial government’s security measures to be appropriate. However, 17% considered them excessive, and 34% deemed them insufficient. Four percent of respondents did not answer.
In Kurram District, 51% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the government’s performance in maintaining law and order, while 34% were dissatisfied. The survey also highlighted that 36% were unhappy with the police service, with 5% not providing an answer.
This report emerges amidst data from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), which identifies KP as one of the provinces most severely affected by terrorism, recording 284 incidents so far this year.
North Waziristan reported the highest number of incidents at 53, followed by Bannu (35), Dera Ismail Khan (31), Peshawar (13), and Kurram (8).
The CTD further disclosed that 1,116 suspects have been named in terrorism-related cases province-wide, including 391 from North Waziristan and 166 from Kurram.
Out of the total suspects, 95 have been arrested this year, with 70 arrests occurring in Kurram and three each in Swat and Bannu. The CTD report also indicates that 148 terrorists have been killed across the province this year, with the highest concentration (67) in Dera Ismail Khan.
In 2024, at least 732 attacks were reported in KP, following 651 attacks in 2023. The number of attacks over these two years represents the highest figures since 2009 and 2010.
