Officers in 26 ‘terror-hit' KP districts get special allowance

• PAS, PSP officers to receive 250pc of running basic pay • Allowance effective retrospectively from July 1; Centre to bear cost PESHAWAR: The federal government has designated 26 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as 'terror-affected', making Paki­s­tan Administrative Service (PAS) and Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) officers posted there eligible for an 'extraordinary law and order and security risk allowance' with effect from July 1 this year, it emerged on Saturday. According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division to the KP chief secretary and seen by Dawn, the allowance for officers posted in 26 of the province's 35 districts will be equivalent to 250 per cent of their running basic pay and paid retrospectively. The notification said the 'KP Extraordinary Law, Order and Security Risk Allowance' would be admissible to PAS and PSP officers posted in Peshawar, Khyber, Mardan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mohmand, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Kurram, Orakzai, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, Swat, Buner, Shangla, Bajaur, Upper and Lower Dir, and Upper and Lower Chitral. Citing an Aug 18 letter from the Establishment Division to the KP chief secretary, the notification said Swabi and the entire Hazara Division — comprising Abbo­t­t­abad, Haripur, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Kolai-Palas and the Upper and Lower Kohistan districts — were 'excl­uded for the purpose of admissibility of subject allowance'. The federal government asked the KP government to proceed with payment of the allowance with effect from July 1, 2026. In the August letter seen by Dawn, the Establishment Division said the government had approved the allowance for PAS and PSP officers serving in 'seriously disturbed KP districts' due to the law and order situation and the risks faced by officers and personnel. It said the allowance would be admissible only to PAS and PSP officers posted in districts categorised as seriously disturbed, which would be identified by the Interior and Narcotics Control Division at the start of each financial year. 'The Establishment Division will notify the districts where this allowance will be admissible, on an annual basis, at the start of each financial year,' the letter said. 'The allowance shall be discontinued upon transfer of the officers from the notified districts.' It also said the allowance would continue during sanctioned leave of any kind, except extraordinary leave, but would not be admissible during suspension, posting as an officer on special duty or training of any kind. The allowance would not be treated as part of emoluments for calculating pension and gratuity, while its cost would be borne by the federal government. KP has witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks over the past year. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies' Annual Security Report 2025, KP recorded a surge in violence last year as 'fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025'. Amid a resurgence in terrorism, particularly in KP and Balochistan, where attacks frequently target security personnel and law enforcement agencies, the state has intensified counterterrorism operations. According to monthly data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, mainland KP recorded 54 terrorist attacks last month, a 50pc increase over July. The merged districts also recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August, marking a 126pc increase. Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2026