A combined image of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived at the Prime Minister House on Monday for a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, amid rising tensions between the federal and provincial governments over security and displacement of people from the Tirah Valley.
Sources said the meeting would include an exchange of views on the security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with Afridi expected to brief the prime minister on concerns related to terrorism, the operation in Tirah and displacement of local residents. Political issues are also likely to be discussed.
Officials said the two sides could also raise the issue of outstanding dues the Center owes the province, as well as a possible protest planned by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on February 8, marking the anniversary of the 2024 general elections, which the opposition party claims were rigged.
A day earlier, Afridi announced plans to call a large province-wide jirga and said he was preparing to launch a protest march toward Islamabad over the alleged forced displacement of residents of the Tirah Valley and what he described as a federal “u-turn” on the issue.
Read: Afridi signals march towards Islamabad through Tirah
Speaking before a jirga, he said the prime minister had invited him to talks on provincial rights, where he would present the case of the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa “with all their strength and determination”. Afridi said his visit was aimed at “defending the rights of KP and securing our outstanding dues”.
The meeting comes amid a growing standoff over who authorized the evacuation of Tirah, after hundreds of families were forced to leave their homes fearing planned military action.
While authorities initially said the evacuations were carried out with the consent of all stakeholders, including local elders, the provincial government and the military, the issue became controversial after displaced families were left in frigid conditions in the open, and alleged mismanagement worsened their situation.
Read more: KP CM opposes Tirah operation, hints at sit-in in Islamabad
Earlier this week, the federal government said the movement of people from Tirah was part of routine seasonal migration and denied any military operation in the valley.
Afridi rejected the claim, calling the official stance “a joke” and saying the Center changed its position only after the international media highlighted the “real sufferings of the people of the valley”.
