Mianwali:
With growing security concerns in the border areas Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), authorities have increased 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 presented challenges, enabling prohibitions and militants to slip into KP, where they often avoid Punjab Police Jurisdiction. The cultural and linguistic ties between residents of Mianwali-Især in Tehsil Isa Khel and the nearby KP districts are deeply rooted.
Many families here speak Pashto and have ancestors’ connections across the provincial border, with a significant proportion of the population originally migrating from KP.
The recent wave of terrorist incidents in Bannu, Waziristan and Lakki Marwat has had ring effects in Mianwali.
In response, local police intensified operations, reportedly killing 30 foreign terrorists while tragically losing a police officer in the duty of duty.
The recognition of the critical security situation visited the Inspector General for the KP police Zulfiqar Hameed Mianwali and inspected several key checkpoints along the border, including Dara Tang, Qabulwala, Chahali 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 refugees.
The visit included high -level orientations and a security meeting where both provinces discussed strategies to improve cross -border coordination and fortify common security measures.
Also present were senior officials, including RPO Kohat Jawad Khan, RPO Bannu Sajjad Khan, dpos from Karak and Lakki Marwat and officers from Mianwali’s Investigation Unit. In an attempt to restore public confidence, the police have increased visibility in areas at high risk.
RPO Sargodha is now visiting border areas twice a week, while DPO Mianwali makes frequent trips to police stations and outposts.
Local tribe’s oldest and community leaders have also been engaged through Jirgas, which strengthens the tape police.
A robust patrol system is now in place, and under the direction of DPO Capt (RETD) Rai Ajmal, Flagmarscher has been carried out to claim the police presence and deter criminal activity. These efforts have not only reassured local residents, but have also helped to create a strong social opposition to foreign militants.
Many retired military staff and peace-loving Pashto-speaking residents in these border areas are reportedly acting as the first line of defense and rejects the presence of external threats.
In a narrative anecdote, a police reader once noticed that despite Mianwali’s very sensitive geographical position, it has remained relatively safe, even when terrorism was violent in places like Peshawar and Islamabad.
