Who is responsible for miseries of Tirah dwellers?

2026-01-27 - 23:11

Comments Tariq Saeed As the Federal Government and the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to lock horn over the thorny issue of displacement of the Tirah Valley population, there appears to be no end to the plight of residents of the hilly terrain as heavy snow and uncertainty is adding to their miseries with the each passing day. While the ill-fated population of the Tirah Khyber Agency is forced to leave their dwellings, may be under the pretext of the so-called clearance operation, none of those at the helm of affairs are ready to take the responsibility and instead are only busy in the blame game and denying their involvement in matter. In-fact hundreds of Tirah residents have vacated their homes, certainly unwillingly, owing to Operation and extreme weather conditions for the so-called safer places yet there is no end to their ordeal as reportedly they are facing great hardships in the migration process due to heavy flow leading to blockage of roads and landsliding, etc. The elders of the area allege that the migration of the poverty-ridden dwellers of the Tirah is not being properly facilitated. On the other hand, the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments are busy trading barbs over the issue. While the Chief Minister KP Sohail Afridi said people were “forced” to leave their homes, astonishingly the Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has asked the KP government to explain the circumstances claiming the federal government had not issued any directive or appeal for evacuation from the area. Ahsan Iqbal further claimed that the Ministry of Information had already denied reports suggesting a large-scale military operation in Tirah, adding that linking the displacement to the armed forces amounted to deliberate misinformation. The humanitarian conditions in Tirah are getting worse where families fleeing the Maidan area have been stranded on snow-covered roads due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. The evacuation from the area began on January 9 ahead of a planned operation expected to conclude within two months, with rehabilitation and return scheduled to start from April 5. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the Miraban–Tirah Valley Road was blocked following heavy snowfall with clearance efforts underway using heavy machinery. Rescue 1122 officials said emergency operations were ongoing in Tirah, involving 103 personnel deployed from Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts. So far, more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 stranded individuals have been rescued, with the scope of the operation continuing to expand. Meanwhile, KP CM Afridi while alleging that the residents of the Tirah Valley were “forced to leave” categorically stated that the provincial government did not evacuate them. The poor people of Tirah are facing severe hardship and if the ongoing operation was not halted within the next two to three days, the provincial government would formulate its own strategy. CM KP warned while addressing party workers in Chakdara a couple of days back. He, however, clarified that his party was ordeal as reportedly they are facing great hardships in the migration process due to heavy flow leading to blockage of roads and landsliding, etc. The elders of the area allege that the migration of the poverty-ridden dwellers of the Tirah is not being properly facilitated. On the other hand, the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments are busy trading barbs over the issue. While the Chief Minister KP Sohail Afridi said people were “forced” to leave their homes, astonishingly the Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has asked the KP government to explain the circumstances claiming the federal government had not issued any directive or appeal for evacuation from the area. Ahsan Iqbal further claimed that the Ministry of Information had already denied reports suggesting a large-scale military operation in Tirah, adding that linking the displacement to the armed forces amounted to deliberate misinformation. The humanitarian conditions in Tirah are getting worse where families fleeing the Maidan area have been stranded on snow-covered roads due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. The evacuation from the area began on January 9 ahead of a planned operation expected to conclude within two months, with rehabilitation and return scheduled to start from April 5. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the Miraban–Tirah Valley Road was blocked following heavy snowfall with clearance efforts underway using heavy machinery. Rescue 1122 officials said emergency operations were ongoing in Tirah, involving 103 personnel deployed from Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts. So far, more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 stranded individuals have been rescued, with the scope of the operation continuing to expand. Meanwhile, KP CM Afridi while alleging that the residents of the Tirah Valley were “forced to leave” categorically stated that the provincial government did not evacuate them. The poor people of Tirah are facing severe hardship and if the ongoing operation was not halted within the next two to three days, the provincial government would formulate its own strategy. CM KP warned while addressing party workers in Chakdara a couple of days back. He, however, clarified that his party was neither hostile to the armed forces nor to state institutions, but opposed those whom, he said, interfere in politics. Former Member of the National Assembly Shafique Afridi also rapped both Federal and the Provincial governments for what he said criminal silence over the issue and deviating from their constitutional responsibilities saying the uncertainty and the Security Forces operations have forced the poor residents of Tirah to evacuate. The independent source question as to what is the fault of thousands of peaceful Tirah dwellers, who have already been living in miserable conditions, to suffer for the sin they never committed. They also ridiculed the claims made by the Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday that no Operation was going on in Tirah saying directives issued to the Tirah residents to vacate the area were on the records and appeared in the national press many times. The clearance operations forcing the residents to evacuate the region, it is apprehended, lacks proper planning. Alongside, politicizing the issue by the main stakeholders for vested interests is adding salt to the wounds of the affectees. The issue needs to be tackled with immediately ensuring relief to the residents who are bearing the brunt of the others’ mistakes.