The Ministry of Information has said that neither the armed forces nor the federal government has issued any orders for the “depopulation” of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley, where residents have been vacating their houses amid a planned military operation against militants.
“The government has taken notice of misleading claims in circulation regarding alleged ‘depopulation’ from Tirah Valley on the orders of the army.
“These assertions are baseless, malicious, and driven by ulterior motives aimed at creating alarm among the public. No directive has been issued for the depopulation of Tirah by the federal government and the armed forces,” a post on the ministry’s X account said on Sunday.
The ministry further maintained in its statement that law enforcement agencies had been routinely conducting “targeted, intelligence-based operations, strictly against terrorist elements, with full care to avoid disruption to civilian life, for which no migration is needed or being undertaken”.
“It may be noted that the local population is increasingly concerned over the presence of khawarij (a term that the state uses for terrorists) and desire peace and stability in Tirah,” the ministry said.
It recalled that the KP government’s Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Department had issued a notification for the release of funds — reportedly Rs4 billion — on December 26, 2025.
The ministry said the purpose for the release of the funds was stated to be the “anticipated temporary and voluntary movement of population from certain localities of Tirah (Bagh)”. Moreover, the ministry continued, the provincial department had also “requested the facilitation of advance preparedness and relief-related arrangements, including transportation, food support, cash assistance, and establishment and management of transit and registration points”.
It further quoted the notification as stating that “the deputy commissioner, Khyber (where Tirah is located), has further conveyed that the proposed voluntary movement reflects the views and preferences of the local population, articulated through a representative jirga convened at the district level, taking into account seasonal, logistical and contextual considerations, as well as a on-camp based modality”.
“Hence, any stated position of the provincial government or their officials being conveyed to the media that the said migration has anything to do with the armed forces is false and fabricated, given with mala fide intent to gain political capital and, unfortunately, malign security institutions and, therefore, highly regrettable,” the ministry’s statement said.
More to follow
