KHYBER: The Bara Siyasi Ittehad (BSI),an alliance of political parties, on Saturday called upon the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to shun their differences and fulfil their obligations towards the displaced families of Tirah Valley with an immediate end to hostilities to them.
In a meeting held in Bara with its president, Hashim Khan Afridi, in the chair, the BSI insisted that the government should work for lasting peace in the restive Tirah valley while paving the way for an early return of all displaced families.
The demand comes a day before a jirga called by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi will meet to review the situation amid the federal government’s assertions that no large-scale military operation has been planned for Tirah.
Preparations for the jirga, to be held at Jamrud Sports Complex, have almost been finalised, with members of the local PTI organisations seen reaching out to residents for participation.
The chief minister is expected to make “important announcements” about the Tirah situation and the status of families displaced from the valley.
Participants of the BSI meeting unanimously adopted resolutions, saying the federal and provincial governments should understand that the current issue isn’t limited to Tirah and instead, it has become a national issue requiring immediate resolution.
They demanded an immediate end to the “undue political interference” in the IDP registration and an across-the-board action against those who registered undeserving families.
The participants said that registration of every affected family was the basic right of people of Tirah and those who had permanent houses and properties in the valley should be provided with all promised aid packages after their recognition as internally displaced persons.
They adopted another resolution, rejecting registration on the basis of polio vaccination records obtained from Nadra and alleged that undeserving families were accommodated during the registration process ignoring genuine IDPs.
Through another resolution, the participants noted that the current Tirah situation had a spillover effect on Upper Bara and Bara plain areas as residents lived under an atmosphere of fear and received anonymous phone calls for extortion and kidnapping for ransom.
The BSI members called for a joint sitting of both federal and provincial governments to amicably sort out the issue and work together for alleviating the sufferings of residents.
They also announced the launch of the Bara Peace Movement to jointly strive for a peaceful and secure environment in Bara.
Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2026
