- The center denies ordering the evacuation of the Tirah Valley.
- The KP government is urged to clarify its stance on the militants.
- KP govt did not evacuate Tirah residents: CM Afridi.
PESHAWAR: After hundreds of Tirah residents fled their homes due to heavy snowfall and a planned operation against terrorists in the tribal district, the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments traded barbs as Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said people were “forced” to leave their homes.
speaking in Geographic news On the program “Naya Pakistan”, Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal questioned the reason for the displacement of Tirah residents and said the provincial government must explain the circumstances.
He categorically said that the federal government had not issued any directive or call for evacuation of the area.
Referring to the statement issued on Saturday night, Iqbal emphasized 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 disinformation.
He said law and order fell squarely under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, criticizing the KP administration for failing to fulfill its responsibility.
“The KP government must decide whether to support terrorists or the people of Pakistan,” Iqbal said, adding that the PTI-led provincial government was continuously carrying out campaigns against state institutions and seemed to sympathize with extremist elements.
Echoing these statements, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the federal government had taken serious notice of what he described as false propaganda around Tirah. He reiterated that associating the evacuation with the military was misleading and factually incorrect.
The response comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Tirah, where families fleeing the Maidan area have been stranded on snow-covered roads due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures.
Evacuation of the area began on January 9 ahead of a planned operation expected to conclude within two months, with rehabilitation and return scheduled to begin from April 5.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the Miraban-Tirah Valley highway was blocked following heavy snowfall, while several routes across KP, including Kaghan-Naran, Battal and Lowari Tunnel, were also closed, leaving locals and tourists stranded.
Accumulating snow has further affected roads in Buner, Swat, Chitral, Lower Dir and Kolai-Palas, and clearing efforts are underway using heavy machinery.
Rescue 1122 officials said emergency operations were underway in Tirah, involving 103 personnel deployed from Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts. So far, more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 stranded people have been rescued and the scope of the operation continues to expand.
‘Forced to leave’
Meanwhile, KP CM Afridi said residents of Tirah Valley were “forced to leave”, stressing that the provincial government did not evacuate them.
Addressing party workers in Chakdara, Afridi said the people of Tirah were facing grave difficulties and warned that if the ongoing operation was not stopped in the next two to three days, the provincial government would formulate its own strategy.
The prime minister clarified that his party is not hostile to the armed forces or state institutions, but opposes those who, according to him, interfere in politics.
Separately, KP government spokesperson Shafi Jan dismissed the federal government’s claim of releasing Rs 4 billion for displaced Tirah families as “very ridiculous”.
He said the provincial government had released funds in a timely manner to provide aid to displaced families, adding that residents of Tirah were being forced to leave their homes due to an operation.
Jan further accused the federal government of having made a failed attempt to hand over responsibility for the operation to the KP government.
