Tirah | Pakistan

KHYBER: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced on Sunday that he would soon convene a grand jirga for consultations with stakeholders across the province for a protest march on Islamabad. The CM shared his plans at a jirga at Khyber’s Jamrud Sports Complex, which he had announced last Sunday while responding to the federal government’s stance that neither the Centre, nor the military, had issued any directives for the “depopulation” of the Tirah Valley. The federal and provincial governments have been trading barbs over who authorised the evacuation process in the valley after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes amid concerns about a planned military actions. The evacuations, which were carried out in line with a plan agreed upon by all stakeholders — including local elders, the provincial government and the military — seem to have become a bone of contention after the displaced populace found themselves stranded in cold weather under open skies, with mismanagement by the author...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Wednesday blamed statements by the PTI-led provincial government for the recent evacuation of residents from Tirah Valley in the province’s Khyber district. The federal and provincial governments have recently traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of a planned military action against terrorists. Speaking to reporters in Khyber’s Bara tehsil — where families displaced from Tirah have arrived — Kundi noted that while there was typically around 20 per cent “migration” during winters, it was between 50 to 60pc this year. “It is 50 to 60pc this time because statements were repeatedly made that perhaps an operation will be conducted in Tirah, so people vacated [their homes].” “In my opinion, people are suffering today due to the failure and weakness of our province’s government,” he said. The governor noted that the KP government had issued a “barrage of statements and compelled these peop...

PESHAWAR: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that there was no question of a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah, insisting that migration was a routine practice in the valley. Asif made these remarks during a press conference in Islamabad, where he was flanked by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan. The press conference came two days after the federal and provincial governments traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of planned military action against terrorists. The evacuations, which were carried out in line with a plan agreed upon by all stakeholders — including local elders, the provincial government and the military — seem to have become a bone of contention after the displaced populace found themselves stranded in cold weather under open skies, with mismanagement by the authorities only adding to...

Shafi Jan, the special aide to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for information, on Sunday doubled down on the stance that the federal government had ordered a military operation in Tirah. The PTI-led KP government has repeatedly opposed military operations in the province, an issue that has created friction between the party, the centre and the establishment, with the latter accusing PTI of providing sanctuary to militants. Speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan with Shehzad Iqbal, Jan said the 24-member Jirga, which agreed on the displacement from Tirah before the operation, was “forced” to sign. Referring to the federal government’s statement that it had not issued any orders for the “depopulation” of Tirah, Jan said a large-scale military operation was being “imposed” rather than routine intelligence-based operations. When asked about the Khyber deputy commissioner’s (DC) signatures, he said the DC signed the deal just to facilitate the people, because the government “knew that the people would be ...

The Ministry of Information has said that neither the armed forces nor the federal government has issued any orders for the “depopulation” of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley, where residents have been vacating their houses amid concerns about a planned military operation against militants. “The government has taken notice of misleading claims in circulation regarding alleged ‘depopulation’ from Tirah Valley on the orders of the army. “These assertions are baseless, malicious, and driven by ulterior motives aimed at creating alarm among the public. No directive has been issued for the depopulation of Tirah by the federal government and the armed forces,” a post on the ministry’s X account said on Sunday. The ministry further maintained in its statement that law enforcement agencies had been routinely conducting “targeted, intelligence-based operations, strictly against terrorist elements, with full care to avoid disruption to civilian life, for which no migration is needed or being undertaken”. “It may be no...

Eight months ago, the provincial government and law-enforcement agencies jointly concluded that the growing presence of Khwarij in Tirah held the local population hostage, using civilian cover to carry out nefarious acts of terrorism and coercion of the population.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi paid a late-night visit to Peshawar Medical Complex on Friday to inquire about the health of people injured in an accident involving a vehicle carrying displaced families from Tirah.

KHYBER: With hundreds of displaced families stranded on the road due to prolonged registration process, the Khyber district administration on Thursday suspended the evacuation of more families from Tirah valley due to heavy snowfall that began in early hours of the day. A note issued by Khyber House in Peshawar asked Tirah families to refrain from travelling to Bara until Friday evening due to the inclement weather. It added that the process of evacuation and registration would restart after weather improvement. Sources in Tirah had earlier informed that law-enforcement agencies made announcements in the valley about speedy evacuation of families as the Jan 25 deadline for displacement neared. Stranded families complain they had sleepless nights on the road Announcements caused panic and worry among Tirah families as the weather turned hostile and LEAs wanted them to leave without delay. Gul Mand Khan, who reached Bara on Wednesday evening, told Dawn that it took him and his extended family six days to cover ...

ISLAMABAD: Alarm bells were rung in the Senate on Monday over the recently launched military operation in the Tirah area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber tribal district. Speaking on a point of public importance, ANP chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan accused the federal government of being in a “deep slumber” over the ongoing operation in KP, leaving the people helpless and clueless. He said such “processes” had been carried out in the past in KP with all stakeholders on board. “But this time, the Centre is sleeping, whereas the provincial government is unbothered about what is going on,” he added. “The federal government is behaving as if KP is out of its jurisdiction, and the provincial government is headed by one who is openly talking against the system and is not ready to accept any operation,” he contended. “Please leave aside day-to-day things and talk about this operation, as the KP government is not even bothered to arrange tents for the displaced people,” he said. Senator Palwasha asks for her privilege mo...

PESHAWAR: After weeks of protracted deliberations with security and administration officials, tribal elders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Tirah valley finally agreed to start vacating their homes from January 10, ahead of an operation against militants, after reaching a written agreement with the district administration. The deadlock had persisted between the valley’s tribal elders and government officials over the launch of a military operation in the valley as well as the relocation of families to prevent collateral damage. Sources among the 24-member jirga, who negotiated the written agreement on the displacement process with the district administration, said that the entire Tirah valley would be vacated by January 25, 2026, thus paving the way for the long-anticipated military operation against all proscribed militant groups currently holed up in the valley. Spelling out the terms and conditions of the written agreement, the jirga said that the district administration agreed to pay Rs3 million to thos...

KHYBER: Preparations for a decisive action against terrorist groups in the restive Tirah valley have entered the final phase as security officials verbally agreed on a possible timeframe for the operation and facilitation of the departing families. Sources in the valley told Dawn that hectic deliberations had been taking place between the Tirah Bagh Brigade Headquarters and local elders since Wednesday (Dec 10) to develop a mechanism for the ‘willful’ relocation of families from the valley and an acceptable package for the new internally displaced persons (IDPs). They said that while expressing satisfaction with the voluntary repatriation of families from different areas of Tirah in the last few weeks, officials posted to the Bagh Brigade Headquarters made it clear to local elders that those unwilling to vacate their houses would face “utter difficulties” after the launch of the operation. A Malakdinkhel elder, who was part of the negotiating team, told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the launch of the mi...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday condemned the deaths of civilians during “operations against terrorists” in the province’s Tirah area. Earlier, a senior police officer in the area told AFP on condition of anonymity that “jets targeted four houses, which were completely destroyed”. He, however, did not say who carried out the attack. The incident generated criticism from multiple quarters. A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said CM Ali Amin Gandapur met a delegation from the district following the incident with PTI MNA Iqbal Afridi, the KP chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), Peshawar commissioner and other officials also present in the meeting that reviewed the law and order situation in the “context of the unfortunate incident” that occurred in Tirah. “Martyrdom of civilians in the incident is regrettable and condemnable. Martyrdom of civilians as a result of operations against terrorists is unacceptable,” the statement quoted CM Gandapur as saying. It added tha...

KHYBER: The leaders of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) agreed on Tuesday that they would not use civilians as a human shield in their armed struggle against security forces, nor would they extort money from anyone in the name of Zakat and Ushr in the restive Tirah valley of Khyber tribal district. Written in Pastho on the letterhead of TTP and duly stamped by its ‘supreme council’ (Rahbari Shura), a Bar Qambarkhel elder read out the five-point agreement in front of a gathering of local tribesmen in response to their demand for ending hostilities against ordinary tribesmen and a pullout from Tirah to restore peace. There was, however, no mention of a pullout from Tirah in the agreement inked between local elders and TTP. The leaders banned TTP vowed to continue their armed resistance against security forces and also punish those, who supported forces or found guilty of spying against them. “Our sole purpose is an armed struggle (jihad) against anti-Islam forces and their collaborators for which we desp...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday said Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was “in contact” with the relevant administration over the incident of protesters being shot in Khyber district’s Tirah Valley. Seven people were shot on Sunday after a demonstration outside the Brigade Headquarters in Bagh-Maidan Markaz against the death of a minor girl in a mortar strike in Tirah’s Zakhakhel. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the “firing on peaceful citizens by khawarij” — a term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, according to sources and protesters, security personnel guar­ding the installation reportedly had opened fire to control the crowd. Besides the seven killed, at least 16 others also received bullet injuries, sources said. There has been no official statement from the local administration or the military about the mortar strike or Sunday’s killings. “The chief minister is in constant contact with the relevant administration,” CM Gandapur’s public rel...

KHYBER: Consultations and deliberations started both in Bara and Tirah among various stakeholders after they were conveyed a message about possible military operation during an official meeting on May 27 (Tuesday). Held at Khyber House and chaired by Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud, the meeting was also attended by regional security officials, deputy commissioner of Khyber, DPO and elders from Tirah and Bara along with elected representatives. Sources told Dawn that commissioner conveyed to the participants of the meeting the government’s resolve about ‘decisive’ military operation against various terrorist groups presently holed up in some localities of Shalobar and Zakhakhel areas in Tirah valley. They said that the commissioner also told Tirah elders that residents of Landawar, Dray and Darpair in Shalobar and Zarra Pakha and Mazari Sar in Zakhakhel had to be temporarily displaced prior to start of operation after Eidul Azha to avoid collateral damage. MNA questions infiltration of terrorists into the va...