PESHAWAR: The federal government has designated 26 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as “terror-affected”, declaring that all Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) officers posted therein are eligible for an ‘extraordinary law and order and security risk allowance’, effective 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 26 of the 35 districts will be 250 per cent of the running basic pay and paid retroactively.

It read that 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, besides Upper and Lower Chitral.

Citing an August 18 letter from the Establishment Division to the KP chief secretary, the notification stated that Swabi and the entirety of 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 requested 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 approved the grant for PAS and PSP officers serving in the “seriously disturbed KP districts”, due to the law and order situation and the danger to officers and personnel.

It added that the allowance would be admissible only to PAS and PSP officers in districts categorised as seriously disturbed, which would be identified by the Interior and Narcotics Control Division at the start of each financial year.

“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 read. “The allowance shall be discontinued upon transfer of the officers from the notified districts.”

It further stated that the allowance would be provided during sanctioned leave of any kind, except extraordinary leave, and would not be available during suspension, appointment as an officer on special duty, or training of any kind.

Furthermore, it would not be treated as part of emoluments for the purpose of calculating pension and gratuity, and the cost of the allowance would be borne by the federal government.

KP has seen a rise in terrorist attacks over the past year.

According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.

Due to a resurgence of terrorism, especially in KP and Balochistan, where attacks often target security personnel and LEAs, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

According to monthly data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), mainland KP recorded 54 terrorist attacks last month, marking a 50 per cent increase compared to July.

Meanwhile, the merged districts recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August, marking a 126pc increase.