PHC told neither federal nor KP government to authorize Tirah operation

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court was informed on Friday that neither the federal government nor the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had authorized any military operation in the Tirah Valley, with both governments distancing themselves from their responsibilities while hearing a petition regarding the alleged operation and the resulting displacement of residents.

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

Both lawyers told the court that no formal approval for an operation in Tirah had been issued by their respective governments. The petitioner’s lawyer, advocate Saud Javed, argued that residents were forced to leave their homes due to the situation, but it remains unclear who authorized the operation and whether approval was obtained from the relevant assemblies.

Read: KP CM redoubles efforts, convenes Khyber Jirga meeting on Sunday to resolve Tirah travel 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 the immediate release of funds to the affected residents and summoned the tribal elders in the next hearing to check whether the displaced people are receiving assistance in the relief camps established by the government.

The court also summoned the relief secretary and ordered the federal and provincial governments to submit detailed reports. The hearing was adjourned until February 12.

Friction between the federal governments and the KP over the situation in the Tirah Valley continued unabated with the former claiming that no operations were being carried out while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi stuck to his claims.

Thousands of families remain displaced from Tirah Valley in Khyber district as the KP government oversees their resettlement amid increasing 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 move also led to a conflict of discourse between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government maintains that only small-scale intelligence operations against militants are underway and that no mass evacuations are necessary. The provincial government rejects this assertion.

CM Afridi 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.”

Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said no military operations were being carried out in the Tirah Valley, terming the migration of people a routine and seasonal process due to bad weather and snowfall.

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

The press conference came two days after the federal and provincial governments exchanged barbs over who authorized the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents left their homes in anticipation of planned military action against the terrorists.

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