K-P CM opposes Tirah operation, hints at Islamabad sit-in

Sohail Aridi continues to allege residents of the valley did not move voluntarily, but were forcibly evicted

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday levelled serious allegations against the federal government, declared that he would not allow any operation in Tirah, and hinted at staging a sit-in in Islamabad.

Addressing the Khyber Peace Jirga, he said he had sensed in advance that developments were under way and that an operation was being planned in Tirah.

He asked participants whether they had been displaced forcibly or voluntarily, to which they unanimously raised their hands in favour of forced displacement. When he asked whether they wanted to return to Tirah or proceed to Islamabad for protest, a majority supported holding a sit-in in the federal capital.

Afridi claimed that conspiracies were under way to impose governor’s rule in the province. He announced that he would visit all tribal districts to seek public opinion on staging a sit-in in Islamabad. He said that even if he were disqualified by the courts or removed by force, he would not retreat from what he described as the rights of the tribal people.

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Recalling past events, he said residents of Tirah had been displaced previously and that the area had remained peaceful for four years after 2022, but this time decisions for another operation were made behind closed doors.

The chief minister categorically stated that he would not allow a new operation in Tirah. He alleged that during previous operations, public losses were not compensated and payments of up to Rs400,000 for destroyed houses were not made, while billions of rupees were embezzled in the name of internally displaced persons.

He said that when he allocated Rs4 billion for the affected population, the federation accused him of corruption, adding that he was demanding not Rs4 billion but Rs100 billion for the victims. He also questioned why outstanding dues amounting to Rs1,000 billion owed by the federation to the province had not been paid.

Referring to the approaching month of Ramazan, Afridi said the hardships of the affected people could increase further and announced that the registration process would be accelerated. He added that he had received an invitation to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and would raise the province’s issues forcefully at that meeting.

Also Read: Federal govt terms Khyber jirga a ‘charge sheet’ against K-P govt, seeks apology

Afridi also strongly condemned recent incidents of terrorism in Balochistan. He said he had repeatedly warned that terrorists were being resettled, but these warnings were dismissed by the federal government as propaganda.

He alleged that militants had gradually reached homes and villages, questioning how they crossed borders, passed through dozens of checkposts and managed to settle in populated areas.

He claimed that when militants took refuge in villages, mortar shells were fired at civilians, resulting in the killing of children in several attacks. He further alleged that the federal government had even labelled these slain children as terrorists.