Tirah troubles

That Tirah Valley is a troubled spot in the context of state writ goes without saying. Credible reports suggest that the Valley bordering Afghanistan and located in Orakzai District and the southern part of Khyber District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is serving as a sanctuary for terrorists belonging to a host of banned outfits including Islamic State-Khorasan, Lashkar-i-Islam, Jamaatul Ahrar, etc. The federal government, representing the state, is thus entitled, in fact dutybound, to clear the region of the terrorists that have challenged its writ and disrupted the public peace – using whatever means possible, including, of course, the military means. On a related note, the K-P government, being the representatives of the people of the province and custodians of their rights, too reserves the right to raise genuine reservations and intervene in state action.

However, the way the Centre and the provincial government have come out against each other on a matter of state security does not constitute a responsible handling that the situation so direly warrants. Instead of cooperating and coordinating with each other to address what is turning out to be a humanitarian crisis, the two sides are trading blame, only to expose the divergence at the state level on the counterterrorism policy – something that would surely go on to benefit the anti-state elements, besides adding to the sufferings of the people who have had to migrate from their native areas amid harsh winters, exacerbated by the reigning climate change phenomenon.

And mind you, this is no seasonal migration, as the federal government insists. The fact is that the locals – certainly not nomads – are forced to flee the brewing conflict to safer zones. The situation demands that both tiers of the state must focus on the plight of the migrators, ensuring them a safe travel and proper shelters with adequate boarding, lodging and medical facilities – till the time the situation returns to normal and they are able to get back home.