KHYBER: Consultations and deliberations started both in Bara and Tirah among various stakeholders after they were conveyed a message about possible military operation during an official meeting on May 27 (Tuesday).
Held at Khyber House and chaired by Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud, the meeting was also attended by regional security officials, deputy commissioner of Khyber, DPO and elders from Tirah and Bara along with elected representatives.
Sources told Dawn that commissioner conveyed to the participants of the meeting the government’s resolve about ‘decisive’ military operation against various terrorist groups presently holed up in some localities of Shalobar and Zakhakhel areas in Tirah valley.
They said that the commissioner also told Tirah elders that residents of Landawar, Dray and Darpair in Shalobar and Zarra Pakha and Mazari Sar in Zakhakhel had to be temporarily displaced prior to start of operation after Eidul Azha to avoid collateral damage.
MNA questions infiltration of terrorists into the valley after border fencing
“An army operation in Tirah is a must and we want to go all about it,” the commissioner told the meeting point blank and also exhorted Tirah elders to assist security forces in their resolve to flush out terrorists from the region, said sources.
They said that a detailed discussion followed after the commissioner’s assertions, as some tribal elders consented to a decisive ‘push’ against terrorist groups while others, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed parliamentarians, expressed their reservations about the launch of a military operation.
MNA Iqbal Afridi was quoted as saying on the occasion that infiltration of terrorist groups into the valley was questionable after fencing of border with Afghanistan and stationing a considerable number of security forces in the region.
Rejecting the official assertion about the impending military operation, he reminded the high ranking government officials present on the occasion that a military operation in the valley could only be launched with the collective consent of all the tribes of Tirah which was duly consented during a high level meeting between the chief minister, chief secretary and security officials in recent past.
Sources said that it was later decided at the end of Tuesday’s meeting that a series of parleys and consultations would be held in Tirah and Bara to ascertain the final view of local elders about the military operation.
Another similar meeting was planned to be held at Khyber House on Monday (June 2) after tribal elders from Tirah and Bara and elected representatives sought time for their mutual consultations to reach a consensus about supporting or otherwise of the proposed military operation.
Meanwhile, Bara tehsil chairman Mufti Kafeel convened a meeting of all the prominent tribal elders, elected councillors and representatives of various political parties to take stock of the situation arising after the commissioner’s announcement about a military operation in parts of Tirah.
The meeting, however, ended inconclusive as any final decision about support for the military operation was linked to an in-depth and detailed discussion with Tirah elders, who were expected to meet on Saturday.
The meeting formed a committee to contact elders in Tirah for a possible participation of Bara elders, elected representatives and political parties’ representatives in their important Saturday jirga.
Sources in Tirah said that a majority of elders were not happy with political representatives and parliamentarians as they were accused of failure to effectively raise their voice in support of the militancy-affected people of the valley.
A final decision about inviting the Bara delegation to Tirah jirga was expected to be taken on Friday, sources said.
Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2025
