BARA:
Large-scale displacement from Tirah Valley in Khyber district is nearing its final stages, with authorities reporting that around 95 percent of the evacuation process has been completed.
According to local administration officials, more than 26,000 affected households have now been registered, marking a significant milestone in what has become a major humanitarian and administrative operation in Afghanistan’s border region.
Deputy Commissioner Bara Talha Rafiq told The Express PK Press Club that a total of 26,962 families have been registered at several established points in Bara. These include Painda China with 11,472 families, Nawi of Malakdin Khel with 5,079, Qambarabad with 2,412, Al-Haj Market with 4,120 and Takia Center of Qambar Khel with 3,879. The process involves biometric verification by NADRA and issuance of SIM cards by private companies to ensure accuracy and prevent fraud.
Financial assistance for transportation has already been provided to registered families, and further payments are expected to begin soon. A verification committee actively reviews registrations to identify and exclude any inauthentic applicants, those who are not permanent residents of the Tirah Valley and who may have registered incorrectly. Officials stress that the priority remains providing rapid and fair assistance to genuine victims, with no tolerance for irregularities.
The evacuation, which has intensified in recent weeks due to security concerns in the rugged Tirah Valley, has attracted widespread attention. A national jirga convened under the leadership of former federal minister Hamidullah Jan Afridi brought together political and social figures to tackle the crisis. The gathering endorsed agreements reached with a 24-member Tirah committee, calling on the provincial and federal governments to quickly resolve registration, rehabilitation and other issues. Participants warned that if commitments, including the promised return date, are not respected, the Afridi tribes will organize their own return.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the relocation of the Aka Khel tribe from areas such as Sere Kandao to Shadalay, with more than 4,000 people expected to be resettled this week. The registration points for this phase are being finalized, according to Bara Tehsil Chairman Mufti Kafil Afridi.
Criticism has multiplied from political circles and the communities concerned. Awami National Party (ANP) district president Abdul Razzaq Afridi accused the provincial government of inefficiency, saying a Khyber House committee was canceling nearly 50 percent of registrations during verification, a move he called unfair. He pointed out that the current system relies heavily on records from polio campaigns, potentially excluding legitimate resident families without children or incomplete data, thereby depriving them of assistance. The Tirah Victims Movement emerged as a unified platform, with representatives of political parties, social figures, traders, doctors and others setting up a protest camp in front of the Bara Press Club. Activists complain of delays due to understaffing at registration points and are calling for more staff and counters to speed up the process.
