- The Center denies ordering the evacuation of Tirah Valley.
- The KP government has been asked to clarify its stand on the militants.
- KP govt failed to evacuate Tirah residents: CM Afridi.
PESHAWAR: After hundreds of Tirah residents left their homes due to heavy snowfall and a planned operation against terrorists in the tribal district, the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments exchanged barbs as Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said people were “forced” to leave their homes.
Speaking on PK Press Club News ‘Naya Pakistan’ programme, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal questioned why residents were being displaced from Tirah, saying the provincial government needed to explain the circumstances.
He categorically stated that the federal government had not issued any directives or calls for evacuation of the area.
Referring to the statement issued on Saturday evening, Iqbal pointed out that the Ministry of Information had already denied reports suggesting a large-scale military operation in Tirah, adding that linking the move to the armed forces amounted to deliberate disinformation.
He said law and order was clearly within the jurisdiction of the provincial government, accusing the KP administration of failing in its responsibilities.
“The KP government must decide whether it stands with the terrorists or the people of Pakistan,” Iqbal said, adding that the PTI-led provincial government was continuously waging campaigns against state institutions and seemed to sympathize with extremist elements.
Echoing the remarks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the federal government had taken seriously what he called false propaganda around Tirah. He reiterated that associating the evacuation with the military was misleading and factually incorrect.
The response comes as humanitarian conditions deteriorate in Tirah, where families fleeing the Maidan area find themselves stranded on snow-covered roads due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures.
Evacuation of the area began on January 9, ahead of a planned operation expected to be completed within two months, with rehabilitation and return scheduled for April 5.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the Miraban-Tirah Valley road was blocked following heavy snowfall, while several roads passing through KP – including Kaghan-Naran, Battal and Lowari Tunnel – were also closed, leaving locals and tourists stranded.
The snow accumulation also affected roads in Buner, Swat, Chitral, Lower Dir and Kolai-Palas, with snow clearance efforts underway using heavy machinery.
Rescue 1122 officials said emergency operations were underway in Tirah, involving 103 personnel deployed in Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts. So far, more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 stranded people have been rescued, and the scope of the operation continues to expand.
“Forced to leave”
Meanwhile, KP CM Afridi said residents of Tirah Valley were “forced to leave”, stressing that the provincial government did not evacuate them.
Addressing party workers in Chakdara, Afridi said the people of Tirah were facing serious difficulties and warned that if the ongoing operation was not stopped in the next two to three days, the provincial government would formulate its own strategy.
The prime minister clarified that his party was neither hostile to the armed forces nor to state institutions, but opposed those who, according to him, interfere in politics.
Meanwhile, KP government spokesperson Shafi Jan rejected the federal government’s demand for the release of Rs 4 billion for the displaced families of Tirah, terming it “highly ridiculous”.
He said the provincial government released funds in a timely manner to assist the displaced families, adding that Tirah residents were forced to leave their homes due to an operation.
Jan further accused the federal government of unsuccessfully trying to transfer responsibility for the operation to the KP government.
