PHC said neither the federal nor the KP government authorized the Tirah operation

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court was informed on Friday that neither the federal nor the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had authorized any military operation in the Tirah Valley, as both governments disclaimed responsibility during the hearing of a petition over the alleged operation and the consequent displacement of residents.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad and Justice Faheem Wali, heard the writ petition filed against the alleged military action and hardships faced by local residents, including displacement amid severe cold and snowfall. Advocate General KP Shah Faisal Utmankhel and Additional Solicitor General Sanaullah represented the provincial and federal governments respectively.

Both law enforcement officials told the court that their respective governments had not issued any formal approval for an operation in Tirah. The petitioner’s lawyer, Advocate Saud Javed, argued that residents were being forced to leave their homes due to the situation, but it was not clear who authorized the operation and whether any approval had been obtained from the relevant assemblies.

Read: KP CM redoubles efforts, calls Khyber jirga meeting on Sunday to resolve Tirah displacement controversy

The court issued a notice to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and directed it to submit a report within a week. He also ordered immediate release of funds to the affected residents and summoned tribal elders in the next hearing to check whether the displaced people are receiving assistance in the relief camps set up by the government.

The court also summoned the Relief Secretary and ordered the federal and provincial governments to submit detailed reports. The hearing was postponed until February 12.

Friction between the federal and KP governments over the situation in Tirah Valley has not abated as the former maintained that no operation was taking place while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi stood by his claims.

Thousands of families remain displaced from Tirah Valley in Khyber district as the KP government oversees their relocation amid worsening security and heavy snowfall. According to the PDMA, the evacuation began on January 10. So far, 11,400 families have been registered, and more than 10,000 have been relocated to safer areas, including Bara and Peshawar.

The displacement has also caused a clash of narratives between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government maintains that only small-scale, intelligence-based operations are being carried out against the militants and that no mass evacuation is required. The provincial government rejects this claim.

CM Afridi has opposed the ongoing operation and forced displacement in the Tirah Valley, warning that decisions taken “behind closed doors” had plunged the region back into suffering and instability. He reported that elderly people, women and children were being uprooted in the frigid winter conditions.

In a detailed video message on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said that “once again extremely harsh conditions are being imposed on Tirah and people are suffering the serious consequences of decisions taken behind closed doors.”

He traced the current situation to the “regime change” that ousted the elected government of party founder Imran Khan, and said that after that, he had organized jirgas and peace mobilization campaigns in Khyber, Hazara, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan to warn the Pashtun nation that “their future was being negotiated and terrorism was being imposed on them.”

Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that no military operation was taking place in the Tirah Valley and termed the migration of people as a routine and seasonal process due to bad weather and snowfall.

Addressing a press conference alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Prime Minister’s Information Coordinator Ikhtiar Wali Khan, the Defense Minister said: “There has been no operation in the Tirah Valley for many years. These are all assumptions.”

The press conference came two days after the federal and provincial governments traded barbs over who was authorizing the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents fled their homes ahead of planned military action against terrorists.

Asif said it was strategically decided that intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were more effective than large-scale operations, adding that the military had stopped such operations years ago in favor of IBOs. He added that the IBOs would continue to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country’s soil.