• Militant hideouts pounded as district admin imposes 12-hour curfew till Monday
• Jirga leader censures admin for not consulting residents, demands facilities for displaced families
• More than 300 families flee restive tehsils ahead of curfew; displaced people to be housed in schools

BAJAUR: A “targeted military” operation to eliminate militants in Bajaur’s Lowi Mamund tehsil resumed on Monday as the provincial government imposed a curfew in several areas of the restive tehsil for three months — a move that attracted criticism from the residents.

The offensive, named ‘Operation Sarbakaf’, was initially launched on July 29, but it was postponed the next day after peace talks between the Bajaur Amn Jirga and local militant commanders inched forward. However, talks for the relocation of militants to Afghanistan, after multiple rounds of negotiations, fell through on Friday evening due to a stalemate on some issues.

On Monday, the security forces reportedly assisted by helicopter gunships and artillery, pounded militant hideouts in Lowi Mamund and War Mamund tehsils, located about 20km from Khar, the district headquarters. However, no loss of life was reported on the first day of the operation, which continued till sunset.

The army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, did not issue a statement.

Due to the curfew announced by the district administration, several major roads and trade centres remained closed, and the restrictions in over two dozen villages of Lowi Mamund and War Mamund tehsils would remain in place till Aug 14.

The notification was posted on the Deputy Comm­issioner’s official Facebook page around 2am on Monday. According to the notification, the district administration said that with the approval of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department, it has imposed a 12-hour curfew on several key roads in the district, including the Khar-Munda road, Khar-Nawagai Road, Khar-Pashat Salarzai Road, and Khar-Sadiqabad-Inayat Kalley Road. “The restrictions on these roads, which commenced at 11am on Monday, will remain in place until 11pm the same night,” said the statement.

The notification said that the three-day curfew had been imposed in around 27 areas of Lowi Mamund and War Mamund tehsils, in addition to the mentioned roads, to ensure public safety and security during the “targeted operation” against terrorists.

The under-curfew areas include Laghari, Gohati, Ghanam Shah, Bad-i-Siah, Gat, Kitkot, Regai, Daag, Ghundi, Amanato, Zagai, Garigal, Niaag, Damadola, Sultan Big, Chowtra, Gaang, Jawar, Inam Khooro Chinagai, Aanga, Safari, Bar Gatki, Kharki, Shakroo, Shinkoot, and Bakaroo.

“We appeal to the people to abide by the restrictions and stay indoors, suspending all activities until 10:30am on Monday, while failure to comply with [this] may result in unpleasant consequences, for which they would be responsible,” the directive concluded.

As the curfew took effect in the morning, the police sounded sirens and directed traders to shut their shops. Subsequently, major roads and bazaars across the district, including Khar, Inayat Kalley, Sadiqabad, Nawagai, Raghagan, Pashat, Laghari, Yousafabad, and Loe Sam, were shut down.

Inconvenience to residents

The restrictions in the district, particularly in the urban areas of the Khar tehsil, caused inconvenience to residents and attracted flak from several political figures, including Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, head of the Bajaur Amn Jirga.

At an emergency news conference at the Bajaur Press Club in Khar, Mr Rashid accused the district administration of failing to take the residents on board before imposing the restrictions. Alongside the jirga members, he criticised the provincial government and district administration for not providing adequate arrangements for transportation and accommodation to the people displaced by the anti-militant action. He sought immediate measures to address the accommodation needs of the displaced people.

Exodus continues

According to estimates, more than 2,000 families, including 300 families on Monday, have fled their homes since Saturday in light of the military operation in the restive Lowi Mamund and War Mamund tehsils. There is no official figure about the displaced families, and these estimates have been based on interviews with local NGOs and residents.

Khalid Khan, executive director of the Siraj Uddin Khan Foundation, told Dawn that about 300 more families fled their homes ahead of the curfew imposed in the morning. He said some people moved to the shelters set up by his organisation, while others chose to stay with their relatives and friends.

In order to accommodate the influx of displaced people, the district administration has announced accommodation facilities in 449 public schools across the district. The decision was made during a meeting of the local education department officials with Khar Assistant Commissioner Dr Sadiq Ali.

A statement issued after the meeting said that 309 boys schools and 140 girls schools would house the displaced people. In addition, 113 private schools will also be used to accommodate the displaced people

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025