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CM Sohail Afridi Visits Swat, Meets Blast Victims’ Families
Sohail Afridi Reaffirms Commitment to Peace
Afridi Reviews Swat Security Situation
PROVINCE REPORT
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi visited District Swat where he met the families of those who embraced martyrdom in recent blast, offered Fateha for the departed souls, and extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Paying tribute to the martyrs, the Chief Minister said that those who sacrificed their lives for the peace and security of the province were a source of pride for the entire nation and that their sacrifices would always be remembered. During his visit, the Chief Minister also visited Saidu Teaching Hospital, where he inquired after police personnel and civilians injured in the blast. He prayed for their swift recovery and directed the relevant authorities to ensure that all injured persons receive the highest standard of medical care without any delay or negligence.
The Chief Minister later chaired a high-level meeting to review the law and order situation in Swat. The meeting was briefed in detail on recent blast , the prevailing security situation , and the ongoing operations being undertaken in response. Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated that safeguarding the lives and property of citizens remains the foremost responsibility of the government and made it clear that no negligence or complacency in this regard would be tolerated. He directed the relevant institutions to deploy all available resources to strengthen security, intensify operations against terrorist elements, and enhance measures for the protection of the public. Speaking to media representatives during the visit, the Chief Minister paid tribute to the people of Malakand Division, saying he saluted the courage and resolve of its people for rejecting the federal government’s flawed policy of resettling terrorists. He regretted that institutions primarily responsible for maintaining national security had become preoccupied with political engineering, postings and transfers, despite these not being part of their constitutional responsibilities. He said this state of affairs had become one of the principal factors contributing to the deteriorating security situation in the province. The Chief Minister said that since assuming office, his government has consistently strengthened the operational capacity of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) by providing modern weaponry and other critical resources, emphasising that these institutions remain at the forefront of efforts to establish and maintain peace in the province. He noted that more than Rs35 billion had already been provided to enhance the capacity and infrastructure of the Police and CTD, while an additional Rs20 billion had been earmarked for the two institutions in the current provincial budget. He reaffirmed that the provincial government remains fully committed to restoring lasting peace, stressing that sustainable development cannot be achieved without security. The Chief Minister further stated that since declaring the 2026-27 fiscal year as the “Year of Peace, Development and Prosperity”, individuals who, should have been subjected to law enforcement action were instead being deliberately allowed to remain at large. Referring to recent incident in Swat, concerns regarding Buner, and the incident in Hangu, he maintained that these developments reflected serious lapses. He added that despite repeated requests by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police for assistance from the relevant institutions, no timely support had been forthcoming.
Emphasizing his government’s unwavering commitment to public safety, the Chief Minister said that both the police and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were his own, and that he would go to every extent necessary to safeguard the lives of the province’s citizens. He added that he would not hesitate to oppose any policy that, undermined that objective. He expressed confidence that peace would ultimately be restored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through the combined resolve of the police and the people. He further stated that his government, having been elected through the public mandate, would continue to place the interests of the people above all else. The Chief Minister also added that certain quarters, whose role did not include political interference, were preventing both the civil administration and the police from performing their professional responsibilities independently. Responding to a separate question, the Chief Minister said that peace is the most fundamental prerequisite for progress and paid tribute to the extraordinary sacrifices rendered by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police over the past twenty-two years in the fight against terrorism. While acknowledging the force’s professionalism, capability and courage, he argued that key security policies were formulated behind closed doors, whereas their consequences were borne by the people and the police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He maintained that although the police continued to confront terrorism with determination, requests for operational support from the relevant institutions were often neither treated with the required seriousness nor responded to in a timely manner. He cautioned that the security situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Home and Tribal Affairs Tariq Saeed, Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah, the Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed and other senior officials accompanied the Chief Minister during the visit.
National
China’s New Development Plan Boosts CPEC 2.0 Prospects
PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD: China’s newly unveiled 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), with its emphasis on high-quality development, innovation and improving people’s well-being, is expected to create fresh opportunities for Pakistan as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) enters a new phase focused on human capital, livelihoods and community development, experts say.
The plan’s priorities closely align with the evolving direction of CPEC 2.0, under which bilateral cooperation is gradually expanding beyond large-scale infrastructure projects towards “small yet beautiful” initiatives aimed at improving education, healthcare, vocational training, employment, agriculture and rural development.
Experts believe the 15th Five-Year Plan reinforces a broader shift in Pakistan-China cooperation from building physical infrastructure to investing in people. They say that if Pakistan effectively aligns CPEC 2.0 with skills development, education, healthcare and community-based projects, the partnership could foster more inclusive economic growth while delivering tangible improvements in livelihoods across the country.
Speaking with Wealth Pakistan, Max Ma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UNI International (Pakistan), said the next phase of Pakistan-China cooperation should place human capital development on equal footing with infrastructure investment.
He said China has accumulated extensive experience in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and sharing that expertise with Pakistan could equip young people with industry-relevant skills, improve employability and support sustainable economic growth.
According to Ma, stronger collaboration between Pakistani institutions and Chinese vocational education providers could modernise Pakistan’s TVET system through teacher training, digital learning and closer partnerships between educational institutions and industry.
Such cooperation, he said, would help prepare Pakistani youth for emerging industries while enhancing their competitiveness in domestic and international labour markets.
He pointed to the Pakistan-China vocational training initiative under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme as an example of this growing collaboration. The programme aims to train 100,000 digitally skilled young people over the next five years, including 10,000 through classroom-based training and 90,000 through online learning, while also preparing 1,000 master trainers within two years to strengthen Pakistan’s long-term training capacity.
Ma said the greatest strength of CPEC’s new phase lies in its greater emphasis on projects that directly improve livelihoods.
“Skills development, digital education and entrepreneurship can raise household incomes much faster than capital-intensive infrastructure projects alone,” he said.
Echoing these views, Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to China, told Wealth Pakistan that China’s latest development strategy converges with the objectives of CPEC 2.0, which increasingly prioritises agriculture, healthcare, education, vocational training, poverty reduction and rural development.
He said this shift provides Pakistan with an opportunity to address longstanding socioeconomic challenges while narrowing its human capital gap and ensuring that the benefits of bilateral cooperation reach communities at the grassroots level.
According to Khan, Pakistan can derive maximum benefit by aligning its national development priorities with people-centred initiatives that improve livelihoods, create employment, strengthen human capital and build more resilient local communities.
He added that expanding Pakistan-China cooperation beyond traditional infrastructure into sectors that directly improve citizens’ well-being would make bilateral collaboration more inclusive, sustainable and beneficial for ordinary people.
