Political parties, tribal elders demand relief for displaced Tirah families

A jirga (tribal assembly) was convened at Bara Bazaar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Khyber district on Saturday under the auspices of the Khyber National Jirga.

Leaders from various political parties and tribal elders attended the jirga, which called for immediate relief and rehabilitation for tens of thousands of families displaced from the picturesque Tirah Valley of Khyber. The evacuation took place during the harsh winter amid reports of a counterterrorism operation, which both the federal and provincial governments have denied.

There was representation from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which participated in the conference alongside tribal elders.

"Tirah Valley was vacated on the orders of provincial, central government and military leadership," he stated, adding that stakeholders cleared the area to rid it of terrorism.

Meanwhile, Syed Kabeer, General Secretary of JUI-F, said the chief minister is the province's chief executive and the Tirah relocation and operation are carried out with his permission. "Chief Minister Sohail Afridi must fulfill his responsibility for the relocation and peacekeeping in Tirah," he added.

Read: Centre, K-P feud deepens over Tirah

"Thousands of families who have been relocated are living in dire conditions," Kabeer stated.

PTI leader Abid Khan Afridi also maintained that, "the chief minister is the province's chief executive, but he has been rendered powerless." He emphasised, "this is a time for unity, not division."

Afridi added that the provincial government is vigilant regarding the facilities for the victims. "Corruption in the relief fund should be identified and action taken," he noted.

Meanwhile, former PTI MPA Shafiq Afridi said representatives of the provincial and federal governments held negotiations with the people of Tirah. "In their speeches, federal ministers ridicule the dire condition of our Tirah victims," he stated.

The former MPA demanded the federal government take immediate steps for relief of the victims. "The federation should provide a plan for the return and rehabilitation of the victims," he added, while emphasising that the provincial government must ensure transparency of the relief fund.

Read More: PHC told neither federal nor K-P govt authorised Tirah operation

PML-N District President Asghar Khan also laid responsibility on both the provincial and federal governments for the difficulties faced by the victims. "The provincial government should acknowledge its mistakes in the decision for relocation and possible operation," he said.

Jirga findings expose ‘false narrative’: Talal Chaudhry

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry demanded an apology from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, saying a jirga convened by a major political alliance had endorsed the federal government’s position and exposed what he termed a false narrative built by the provincial authorities.

Talking to a private television channel, Chaudhry said the jirga’s findings left “no room” for the version presented by the K-P government. He said it had been established that decisions regarding Tirah were taken by local residents after assessing the ground realities, and that they vacated the area under an agreement reached between the people of Tirah and the provincial government.

“These people (the jirga) have, in a very clear manner, explained all those things which the federal government was, in one way or another, trying to convey to the public,” he said.

Criticising the provincial government, Chaudhry alleged that instead of fulfilling its responsibilities, it resorted to what he described as false propaganda to conceal poor performance and incompetence, exacerbating the suffering of the people.

“Today’s jirga has put its seal on the fact that a large portion of the Rs4 billion fell victim to corruption and embezzlement — money that was meant for the people of Tirah,” he added.

He further said the jirga had found that none of the promises made to the people of Tirah regarding the construction of hospitals, schools and police stations had been fulfilled. According to him, despite the passage of eight to nine years since 2017, not a single hospital had been built in the area.

Chaudhry said residents were forced to migrate due to the lack of basic facilities and the absence of the government’s writ. He added that when federal forces were deployed to restore peace, they were met with allegations instead of cooperation.

He said the forces engaged in restoring peace, combating militancy and ensuring security were subjected to what he called baseless accusations, rather than the provincial government acknowledging its own shortcomings.

“Instead of admitting their own mistakes, lies and false allegations were fabricated against the same army that became a saviour for the people, that is fighting there, driving out and killing Khwarij, and restoring peace for them,” said Chaudhry.

Reiterating his demand, Chaudhry said that in light of the jirga’s conclusions, there was no justification for the K-P government to remain silent, insisting it must apologise as the allegations, he said, had been levelled deliberately for political purposes.

Friction between the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments over the Tirah Valley situation has continued unabated as the former maintains that no operation is being carried out while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi sticks by his claims.

The federal government maintains that only small-scale, intelligence-based operations against militants are under way and that no mass evacuation is required. The provincial government, however, rejects this claim.

Also Read: No large-scale offensive in Tirah, says security official

In the midst of this feud, thousands of families remain displaced from Tirah Valley as the provincial government oversees their relocation amid worsening security and heavy snowfall.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the evacuation began on January 10. So far, 11,400 families have been registered, with more than 10,000 relocated to safer areas, including Bara and Peshawar.