Peshawar, The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Apex Committee met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur to discuss and strengthen measures for preventing illegal activities in the province. The meeting, held at the Civil Secretariat Peshawar, was part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Security Architecture (KPISA), with an emphasis on combating terrorism-related activities such as extortion, money laundering, illegal arms, smuggling, fake documents, and drug trafficking.
According to Directorate General Information and PRs – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Apex Committee reviewed the decisions from previous meetings and reiterated the commitment to end illegal activities contributing to terrorism. The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Hasan Azhar Hayat, provincial cabinet members Mian Khaliqur Rahman, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, Muzamal Aslam, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, IGP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, other senior civil and military officials, and federal institution representatives.
The meeting highlighted the need for improved coordination between provincial and federal institutions to eliminate illegal activities. It recommended that the Central Apex Committee hold a meeting in Peshawar to address issues related to the federation and ensure effective prevention of illegal activities. The committee agreed to continue strict measures to combat illegal activities and recommended coordinated actions between relevant federal and provincial departments and intelligence agencies.
To address the problem of extortion and drug trafficking, the committee decided to form a joint task force comprising all relevant law enforcement agencies. The meeting also approved expanding the powers of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to combat extortion, with a principle agreement to enact necessary legislation to support these efforts. Additionally, the committee emphasized the need to strengthen joint check posts with modern technology to prevent smuggling.
The Apex Committee proposed amending laws to impose stricter punishments for drug-related crimes and intensifying the crackdown on individuals involved in the production and supply of drugs. A state-of-the-art rehabilitation center will be established in the province to support the recovery of drug addicts. Other decisions included creating an effective track-and-trace system to prevent the smuggling of illegal and prohibited items, strengthening the police, excise, customs, Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), and other institutions, and making district-level committees more effective for implementing Apex Committee decisions.
The meeting also addressed the illegal use of explosives, with a decision to ban fireworks at weddings and other ceremonies in the province, conduct an audit of district explosive committees, and enforce stricter regulations to prevent the use of explosives for unlawful activities.