The secret behind the destruction of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s CTD

The future of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CTD is at stake.

The performance of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police has suffered severely in the last two years, and according to experts, the main reason for this is the poor strategy of the current Additional IG CTD, Shaukat Abbas, and his poor understanding of the security situation in the province. Shaukat Abbas, who hails from Punjab, was appointed to important positions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa even though he could never serve as a District Police Officer (DPO). According to a CTD official, Shaukat Abbas did not perform any significant work during his posting as Regional Police Officer (RPO) in Dera Ismail Khan, but surprisingly, he was given the responsibility of heading the sensitive CTD department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under his leadership, the CTD Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which had previously been successful in counter-terrorism operations despite limited resources, has faced serious problems. Sources claim that the nexus between Additional IG CTD Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Chief Minister’s brother, Faisal Amin Gandapur, has further damaged the performance of the agency. According to reports, the focus of these two personalities has been on misappropriation and corruption in the funds of the Counter Terrorism Department. Interestingly, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had allocated billions of rupees for the CTD to strengthen the agency effectively against terrorism. However, sources say that a large part of these funds has been lost to corruption, due to which the agency is failing to perform its basic duties. Questions are being raised in the higher circles of the government and the police about the role of Shaukat Abbas and Faisal Amin Gandapur. Will the people and institutions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be free from this harmful leadership? This question remains.