Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar speaks alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry during a press conference at the Press Information Department on Saturday. Photo: PID/File
The federal government on Saturday termed the Khyber National Jirga an “indictment” against the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, alleging poor governance and calling on provincial authorities to apologize for what it described as “constructing a false narrative”.
A jirga (tribal assembly) was convened today at Bara Bazaar in Khyber district under the auspices of the Khyber National Jirga.
Jirga leaders said the Tirah Valley had been evacuated on orders from the provincial and federal governments and called for immediate relief for affected residents. They also urged the federal government to present a plan for the return and rehabilitation of the displaced population.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said the jirga had not only demanded restoration of peace but also leveled serious allegations against the KP government. He added that the jirga concluded that provincial authorities were guilty of mismanagement and corruption and had failed to meet the needs of the people.
“This is a major indictment of the KP provincial government that there is no accountability for the Rs 4 billion that was allocated for relief, travel, registration and assistance of the people,” he said.
Read: Political parties, tribal elders demand relief for displaced Tirah families
Criticizing the provincial government as well as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf ministers and senior leaders, Tarar said their representatives frequently appeared on television, engaging in what he called verbal attacks and theatrics, but were absent on the ground in the Tirah Valley.
“After all, Tirah is part of KP. It is a provincial subject and comes under the provincial administration. Their performance is zero. The Rs 4 billion allocated to the people – the nation will demand an accounting of every penny and ask where this money has gone,” he said.
The minister said the provincial government had tried to formulate a speech, but the jirga had questioned what concrete measures had actually been taken for the people of the region.
Referring to the National Finance Commission allocations, he said the entire nation had made sacrifices and provided the province with billions of rupees for counter-terrorism, but no counter-terrorism department had been established, no Safe City cameras had been installed and there were no schools, colleges, hospitals or universities in Tirah.
Tarar questioned whether there were checkpoints, checkpoints or police stations in the area, adding that performance remained negligible despite much talk.
Read also: Security official calls reports of military operation in Tirah Valley ‘propaganda’
He said that when it came to law and order, the people of Tirah were looking to the Pakistan Army for protection against terrorists and curbing militant activities, adding that the jirga had also expressed confidence in the armed forces.
Demanding an apology from the KP government, Tarar said the manner in which the situation in Tirah was exploited and the narrative built around it warranted an apology to the entire nation.
“They should fold their hands and apologize to the people of Tirah, admitting that they were wrong, that they did nothing for them and that they remained busy with empty political rhetoric,” he said, adding that they remained busy with statements and trolls, while results and outcomes were completely lacking.
Jirga findings reveal “false narrative”: Talal Chaudhry
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry also demanded an apology from the KP government, saying a jirga convened by a major political alliance had supported the federal government’s stand and exposed what he termed a false narrative constructed by provincial authorities.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Chaudhry said the jirga’s findings left “no room” for the version presented by the KP government.
He said it was established that the decisions regarding Tirah were taken by the residents after assessing the ground realities, and that they left the area under an agreement reached between the people of Tirah and the provincial government.
“These people (the jirga) explained very clearly all the things that the federal government was trying, in one way or another, to convey to the public,” he said.
Criticizing the provincial government, Chaudhry said that instead of fulfilling its responsibilities, it had resorted to what he described as false propaganda to cover up its poor performance and incompetence, thus exacerbating the suffering of the population.
“Today’s jirga sealed the fact that a large portion of the Rs4b were victims of corruption and embezzlement – money that was meant for the people of Tirah,” he added.
Read also: PHC did not tell the federal government or the KP government to authorize the Tirah operation
He added that the jirga found that none of the promises made to the people of Tirah regarding the construction of hospitals, schools and police stations had been kept. According to him, despite eight to nine years since 2017, no hospital has been built in the region.
Chaudhry said residents were forced to migrate due to lack of basic facilities and absence of government mandate. He added that when federal forces were deployed to restore peace, they were met with allegations rather than cooperation.
He said forces engaged in peacemaking, combating militancy and ensuring security were subjected to what he called baseless accusations, rather than the provincial government recognizing its own shortcomings.
“Instead of admitting their own mistakes, lies and false allegations were fabricated against the same army that became the savior of the people, fighting there, hunting and killing Khwarij and restoring peace to them,” Chaudhry said.
Reiterating his demand, Chaudhry said that in light of the jirga’s findings, there was no justification for the KP government to remain silent, insisting that it must apologize as the allegations, he said, were made deliberately for political purposes.
