KP CM warns against “decisions behind closed doors” and denounces “forced displacements” during winter
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi delivers a video message on January 27, 2026.
PESHAWAR:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly opposed the ongoing operation and forced displacement in the Tirah Valley, warning that decisions taken “behind closed doors” had once again plunged the region into suffering and instability.
He denounced the fact that elderly people, women and children were uprooted in freezing winter conditions.
In a detailed video message released on Tuesday, the chief minister said “extremely harsh conditions are once again being imposed on Tirah and the people are suffering serious consequences of decisions taken behind closed doors.”
He traced the current situation to the “regime change” that toppled the elected government of party founder Imran Khan, saying that after that, he 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 reimposed on them.”
He said these warnings were dismissed by the PDM government as propaganda, but the Pashtun people in large numbers rejected such decisions.
According to the chief minister, areas where people have resisted over time “continue to enjoy peace”, while areas where the threat was not taken seriously are once again facing instability.
He said the removal of the Imran Khan government through closed-door decisions led to the return of terrorism in KP and devastated Pakistan’s economy, shutting down industries, leaving the youth unemployed and forcing the youth to look for ways to leave the country.
“If a foreign visa is available, a large majority of young people are willing to leave Pakistan because job opportunities have disappeared,” he said.
The chief minister said that just as secret decisions were harming Pakistan, similar decisions were imposing terrorism on KP. He said he openly opposed Operation Tirah when it was decided behind closed doors, questioning its rationale when “22 major military operations and more than 14,000 intelligence-led operations have failed to end terrorism.”
He asks what positive result another operation could bring.
Afridi said a grand jirga convened under the roof of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, comprising all political and religious parties, unanimously approved a 15-point agenda, with all schools of thought agreeing that “military operations are not a solution” and terrorism can only be eliminated through dialogue, consultation and the jirga system.
He said local elders and residents should be consulted as they better understand the traditions and conditions of the area.
Despite this consensus, he said another operation was imposed in Tirah and a 24-member local committee was formed under the Corps Commander Peshawar and the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps.
In these jirgas it was stated that the residents should leave Tirah as the operation could not take place in the presence of people. “The people of Tirah rejected this decision, but they were forcibly displaced due to high pressure and heavy winter snowfall,” he explained.
He said the world was witnessing the displacement of elderly people, women and children in freezing conditions, while the operation itself could not take place due to snowfall, raising serious questions about the purpose of such decisions.
He added that it was assumed that people would turn against him, against the provincial government and against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, but during his visit to Tirah, he received “unprecedented respect and love” from his people.
The chief minister strongly condemned a recent press release by the federal government claiming that Tirah residents had migrated voluntarily, calling it “false and extremely dangerous”.
He said such statements were an attempt to drive a wedge between the province, institutions and the federation, and erode public trust in state institutions.
He said the credibility of the 24-member committee, the IG Frontier Corps and the corps commander had been damaged and their promises were no longer reliable.
He added that the same committee members had promised the displaced people, on instructions from the IG Frontier Corps and the corps commander, that they would return within two months, a promise he had publicly said he did not trust during his visit to Bara.
Announcing further mobilization, the chief minister said a grand jirga of all tribes residing in Khyber would be held at 2 pm on Sunday at the Jamrud football stadium, where people would be asked whether they had migrated voluntarily or were forcibly displaced.
“It will be demonstrated to the world that injustice is being committed against the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, adding that “these people are not experimental subjects and their blood costs a lot.”
He said the provincial government had released 4 billion rupees to take care of the displaced people, a move he said was not acceptable to the federation.
Recalling previous operations, he said compensation of Rs 400,000 for destroyed houses was yet to be paid, while North Waziristan residents living in Baka Khel camp were promised monthly stipends which did not materialize even after ten years, forcing the provincial government to bear the burden of its limited budget.
Sohail Afridi said that through closed-door decisions, oppression, bloodshed and deprivation were imposed on the Pashtun nation, which sacrificed more than 80,000 lives, but terrorism is being imposed again and new sacrifices are being demanded.
He said this would not continue and that he would “stand like a mountain” alongside his people.
Calling on the public to raise their voices, he said it was now their responsibility to stand up for their rights, warning that if they did not act now they would “continue to carry coffins”.
He said he stood with the people, could not be bought or pressured, and would expose the truth to the whole world.
