PESHAWAR: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that there was no question of a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah, insisting that migration was a routine practice in the valley.
Asif made these remarks during a press conference in Islamabad, where he was flanked by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan.
The press conference came two days after the federal and provincial governments traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of planned military action against terrorists.
The evacuations, which were carried out in line with a plan agreed upon by all stakeholders — including local elders, the provincial government and the military — seem to have become a bone of contention after the displaced populace found themselves stranded in cold weather under open skies, with mismanagement by the authorities only adding to their troubles.
At the outset of the press conference, the defence minister said members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been residing in Tirah with their families. “They are around 400-500 in number,” he said.
The defence minister further stated that the provincial government had approved a package of Rs4 billion for the people of Tirah, who were to migrate.
“The armed forces deployed in that area have nothing to do with it. This is an arrangement between the jirga and the provincial government, and as a result of that, this notification was issued,” he added, holding up a notification that he said was issued by the KP government.
On Sunday, the information ministry had also referred to the same notification by the KP Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement department for the release of funds, reportedly Rs4 billion, for the anticipated temporary and voluntary movement of the population from certain localities of Tirah (Bagh). These funds were seemingly required for relief-related arrangements for those leaving Tirah.
The ministry also asserted that the armed forces or the federal government had not issued any orders for the “depopulation” of Tirah.
During the press conference, Asif said that a military operation in the area had been carried out years ago. “And it was strategically decided then that intelligence-based operations (IBOs) are way more effective than operations; the collateral damage is way less. So, the armed forces have not carried out an operation in years in favour of IBOs,” he said.
The minister added, “This is why this practice has been ongoing there for many years, and that is why there is no question of any operation there.”
Moreover, the minister continued, migration in the valley was a routine practice.
He also criticised the KP government’s performance, highlighting a lack of hospitals, schools and police stations in the valley. The minister claimed that there was a “complete absence of civilian law enforcement agencies” in Tirah. “There is no police station there,” he added.
Asif further stated that hemp was being harvested in Tirah over 12,000 acres. Hemp harvested over each acre gave a profit of around Rs3-3.5 million, he said, adding that “this is a major factor” in this matter.
He said that hemp had several uses, including in medicines, construction material and bricks.
“Hemp is harvested there and dividends earned from it either go to the people associated with politics or the TTP. We have initiated measures to stop this, so that [Tirah’s] people benefit from this harvest, and schools and hospitals are constructed there,” Asif added.
He went on to allege that the interests of the provincial government aligned with those of the TTP in Tirah, “as they are together exploiting this source (hemp)”.
The minister recalled that the jirga in Tirah had held meetings on December 11, 21 and 31 last year on the matter.
“It has been meeting the civilian government. You don’t see the military anywhere in this [matter]. And this jirga was constituted many years ago […] And all 24 members of the jirga are onboard. All the things that I have listed that are required there [Tirah], it is their (jirga) demand. Now, in the presence of the jirga and this notification, where do you see the military’s [involvement] in this?” Asif said.
He alleged that the KP government wanted to deflect the blame for its “failures” to the military or an operation that did not even exist.
Then, ostensibly referring to the movement of people in Tirah, he maintained that this “tradition has been in place for decades” due to the climate and topography of the area. It was even mentioned in a gazette from the British era, he added. “This transition takes place every year.”
“This is nothing unusual, but the PTI government has tried to make it [appear] unusual,” he said. Moreover, the KP government had claimed spending Rs2-4bn on setting up camps for the evacuated residents, he said, alleging that those camps did not protect from the cold.
He again asserted that the military presence or an operation in Tirah was an “assumption”. “No operation has been carried out there for years,” he maintained.
He added that if the KP government wanted to work for the betterment of the people of Tirah, the federal government would provide it with the wherewithal needed for that purpose.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Tarar said it was stated in the official gazetteer in the 1880s that the Afridi and Akakhel tribes of Khyber descended and migrated to other areas in winters and returned to Tirah in summers. “This is an established fact,” he insisted.
For his part, PM’s aide Wali said it needed to be uncovered how much money from the Rs4bn package approved by the provincial government had reached the people who had been “forced to relocate”.
“Because the PTI has been in power [in KP] for 13 years. They create such programmes and use these funds for campaigns such as street movements,” he alleged.
Wali further highlighted that the KP government’s notification said that the movement of people from Tirah would be “voluntary”.
“This proves my points that a project was created to mint money,” he argued, adding that the armed forces had nothing to do with the movement of people in Tirah.
The PM’s aide said that to his understanding, the people of Tirah would be used to ensure the success of the opposition’s protest on February 8.
Following that, a journalist sought confirmation of the number of people who had left Tirah, saying that international media had reported that 65 per cent had vacated their houses.
To that, Asif said, “People escape the snowfall in the area and relocate. And more or less 65pc of the people migrate […] There is historical evidence of this. And this will continue to happen in the future as well”.
He said that this matter had been “politicised”, asserting that an impression had been created as if “forced relocation” had been taking place in Tirah.
“And it is being linked to us. Even if forced [relocation] is taking place, it is between the provincial government and the population. We or the military have nothing to do with it.
“The military has been carrying out IBOs there and will continue to do so. As I said, there are around 500 TTP members there […] The military conducts IBOs and weeds them out,” he said.
When asked about KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s claim that he had not been involved in talks with tribal elders from Tirah, Asif said: “This is his and his government’s problem. The talks were held with his government, and if he was not in the loop, that is not my problem or the problem of the federal government.”
He also alleged that some TTP militants had been paying extortion money to some individuals in the KP government.
In response to another question, he clarified that no operation was being carried out in Tirah.
The minister was also asked whether the option of reversing the decision to merge erstwhile tribal areas with KP was being considered in a potential “next amendment”. Asif said no such proposal was being considered.
Asked who formed the jirga that held talks regarding the evacuation of people from Tirah, Asif insisted that it was the provincial government.
A journalist also pointed out to the government representatives that migration from Tirah had been taking place in late October or early November. “What migration is this that a man, along with his five children, goes towards his death?” he questioned.
At that, Information Minister Tarar reasoned that it was due to the shift in weather patterns due to climate change. “Previously, there was no snowfall at the end of January. It used to start in November,” he said.
‘Injustice is being done’
Separately, KP CM Afridi also issued a video statement on the situation in Tirah, condemning a planned “military operation” in the valley and warning that “decisions taken behind closed doors have once again pushed the region toward instability, displacement and distrust”.
The KP CM’s statement in Pashto was a repeat of his earlier rebuke of the Centre on the matter, in which he said that “people are being forcibly displaced due to a military operation, the decision for which was taken behind closed doors”.
In his latest video statement, he said that “harsh conditions have once again been imposed on Tirah Valley”.
The CM further recalled that after PTI founder Imran Khan was removed from power in 2022, “warnings were issued in Khyber, Hazara, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan about terrorism and instability again being imposed on the Pashtun belt”.
“Peace jirgas and public mobilisation campaigns were organised to alert the people that their future was being traded without their consent,” he added.
He criticised the then-Pakistan Democratic Movement government for dismissing those warnings as “propaganda”, claiming that people came out in large numbers and rejected the “decisions taken behind closed doors”.
Afridi said that presently, there was peace in the districts where the decisions were rejected, while terrorism had reared its head in areas where the warnings were ignored.
“Decisions taken behind closed doors not just toppled a democratic government but also triggered the return of terrorism and economic collapse, forcing investors and young people to search for opportunities abroad,” he lamented.
Referring specifically to Tirah, he said he had raised his voice against “imposing decisions” that were taken without the public consent and questioned the logic of launching another operation when “22 major and more than 14,000 IBOs had failed to eliminate terrorism”.
The KP CM recalled that a jirga held at the KP Assembly had finalised a 15-point agenda. He said the jirga also unanimously agreed that a military operation was not a solution and that sustainable peace could only be achieved through dialogue and consensus.
Despite that, he said, another “operation was being imposed”. The CM also claimed that the 24-member committee that was said to have held talks on a military operation in Tirah was headed by the corps commander and frontier corps inspector general.
“Elders of the Afridi [tribe] were told to vacate their houses on the pretext of militants operating from residential areas. Despite people’s objections, they were forced to leave their homes during the harsh winter and amid snowfall.
“And the world is now witnessing elderly people, women, and children being displaced in freezing conditions while the operation, too, cannot be carried out due to snowfall,” he said.
In light of this, he raised questioned the purpose and wisdom behind the decision to conduct a military operation. The CM said that the operation was being launched to malign him and destablise his government.
“But, the people continue to show me respect and support.”
He also condemned the information ministry’s statement on the situation in Tirah, according to which the valley’s residents were leaving their homes voluntarily.
The CM termed the statement “dangerous and an attempt to create conflict between the province and federal government and institutions”. It was also an attempt to “erode public trust in the leadership and state institutions”, he said.
Afridi reiterated his announcement of holding a grand jirga of all tribes residing in Khyber on the coming Sunday at 2pm at Jamrud Football Stadium. He said displaced people will be asked at the meeting whether they had left their homes voluntarily or were forced to do so.
“Then, the world will see that injustice is being done,” the CM remarked.
He said that the people of KP were “not subjects to be experimented upon and their blood is not cheap”. Their dignity must be respected, he stressed.
Afridi said his government had released Rs4bn for the displaced families, adding that previous military operations had resulted in the destruction of houses while promises of compensation to those affected also remained unfulfilled.
The KP government was resolute that it would not abandon its people “in the face of decisions taken in secrecy”, he emphasised, reaffirming that he stood with the Pashtun people and would defend their rights till his last breath.
