What happened
The federal government has declared 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) hard areas and approved a security risk allowance equal to 250 per cent of basic pay for eligible officers posted there, Radio Pakistan reported on 13 September. The allowance covers administrative and police officers in areas affected by terrorism, and the federal government will bear the cost. The Establishment Division conveyed the decision to the KP chief secretary in an official letter.
The districts listed are Peshawar, Khyber, Mardan, Charsadda, Mohmand, Nowshera, 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.
Background to the demand
KP had asked for hard-area status for more than a year. In April 2025 the provincial government wrote to the Centre, saying KP officers earned less than counterparts elsewhere despite years of terrorism, and that senior posts were going unfilled, Geo News reported. The inspector general of police described the request as parity with Balochistan, which already had the status.
In December 2025 the Central Police Office sought a special allowance for all ranks, citing a rise of about 56 per cent in attacks on police over the first 11 months of the year, Dawn reported. On 29 August 2026, ProPakistani reported that a 250 per cent rise for KP police had been proposed, with all districts except Swabi and the Hazara division to be declared hard areas, pending final approval.
Why it matters
Militant violence in the province has continued through the year, including counter-terror operations in Bannu and an operation in Hangu in which an army captain was killed. The military’s end-of-July counter-terrorism briefing gave a national tally of militants killed in 2026.
What remains unclear
Radio Pakistan did not say whether the allowance applies from a past date, when payments begin, or whether it covers all ranks. The August proposal had envisaged hard-area status for all districts except Swabi and the Hazara division, so the final list of 26 appears narrower, though the reports do not explain the difference. How much the allowance will cost the federal budget was not stated.
