ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said rising militancy in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province must be stopped “at all costs,” amid a widening dispute between the federal government and the opposition-led province over how to tackle a worsening security crisis.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it concentrated in KP, which borders Afghanistan and has suffered repeated suicide bombings and attacks on security forces. Islamabad says these militants operate from sanctuaries across the border, a charge Kabul denies.

The federal government has pushed for stronger counterterrorism measures in the province, while the KP administration, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has criticized Islamabad’s approach and called for a strategy based on consultation with the province and other stakeholders.

“Rising terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be stopped at all costs,” Sharif said during a meeting with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

“We want Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to develop like other parts of the country,” he added, saying the government valued the sacrifices made by the province’s people in the fight against militancy.

Sharif’s remarks come as KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leads a PTI protest march toward Islamabad, drawing criticism from federal officials who accuse the provincial administration of prioritizing political agitation while failing to adequately address the security situation at home.

The PTI rejects the criticism and says the federal government’s counterterrorism policies have failed to bring lasting peace to a province that has endured years of military operations, militant attacks and displacement.

The disagreement over counterterrorism was laid bare during negotiations between the government and opposition last week aimed at defusing political tensions and averting the march on Islamabad.

The PTI launched its march from Lakki Marwat on Sunday after negotiations with the government broke down over counterterrorism policy and demands concerning access to Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 on charges he says are politically motivated.

Sharif on Tuesday offered to resume negotiations if the PTI called off the march, urging the opposition to resolve its differences with the government through dialogue.