- Neither the government nor the army ordered evacuation in Tirah, the ministry says.
- He calls such claims “baseless, malicious, driven by ulterior motives.”
- Cites KP notification releasing Rs 4 billion for temporary displacement.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected “misleading claims” about the alleged “depopulation” of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley “on the orders of the army” amid reports of families being evacuated ahead of a planned operation.
In a clarification issued late on Saturday, the ministry said: “These claims are baseless, malicious and driven by ulterior motives aimed at creating alarm among the public, misinformation against security institutions and promoting vested political interests.”
The statement came after evacuations began in Tirah’s Maidan area on January 9 in preparation for a security operation, expected to conclude within two months, with rehabilitation and returns scheduled for April 5.
It said the federal government or the military had not issued directives to depopulate the area, which is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district near the border with Afghanistan.
The statement said law enforcement agencies routinely carried out “targeted intelligence-based operations” against terrorist elements.
He added that these actions were designed in a way to avoid “the disruption of peaceful civil life for which no depopulation or migration is needed or taking place.”
The ministry also addressed local people’s concerns about the presence of militants, saying Tirah residents wanted peace and stability.
He detailed that the KP Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Department issued a notification on December 26, 2025, releasing funds (reportedly Rs 4 billion) for what it described as “temporary and early voluntary movement of population from certain localities in Tirah (Bagh).”
According to the statement, the provincial government requested facilitation for advance preparation and arrangements related to aid, including transportation, food support, cash assistance, and the establishment and management of transit and registration points.
Citing the document, the ministry said the Khyber deputy commissioner conveyed that the proposed voluntary movement reflected the will of the local population, expressed through a representative jirga, taking into account seasonal, logistical and contextual considerations, and adopting a camp-free modality.
The ministry strongly rejected any media statements by the provincial government or its officials linking such migration to the armed forces, calling such claims “false and fabricated” and alleging that they were made with the mala fide intention of obtaining political capital and malign security institutions.
Meanwhile, on Friday, several families fleeing their homes in the Tirah Valley were stranded on snow-covered roads as heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures gripped parts of the province, prompting rescue operations.
Rescue 1122 said more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 people stranded in the snow were safely rescued. The intense cold also led to multiple cases of hypothermia, especially among children, an official at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) said.
“At least 20 children were shifted to HMC with symptoms such as chills, fatigue and low body temperature,” the official added.
The Pakistan Army also continued to participate in relief efforts, rescuing 20 stranded residents and relocating them to safe places.
A 200-bed facility was prepared at the Tirah Administrative Complex, where food, warm accommodation and other basic facilities were continuously provided to evacuated families.
