PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has approved the Special Branch as a formally separate and independent unit, granting it expanded authority, staffing and resources.
The approval came during a meeting chaired by the chief minister on Sunday. Officials told the meeting that the Special Branch currently handles intelligence gathering, security duties, surveys and verification work.
The briefing noted that 308 personnel from the merged districts have recently been integrated into the unit. Officials also reported that the Special Branch has successfully neutralized multiple explosive devices, including suicide vests, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and hand grenades, in recent operations.
Afridi granted in-principle approval for 1,221 new posts and earmarked Rs5.3 billion for infrastructure upgrades, vehicles, motorcycles and advanced technologies.
The chief minister said the Special Branch would be strengthened in line with modern counterterrorism needs to enable the police to play a more effective role in combating emerging security threats.
