KHYBER: A jirga of different tribes of Tirah Valley on Wednesday reiterated their opposition to ‘forced’ displacement of people in the event of a military operation against terrorists, warning the government to desist from any efforts to compel the residents to leave their homes.

Addressing the jirga held at Lar Bagh Markaz, a leading cleric and district emir of Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam-Fazl Maulana Hazrat Khan made it clear that people of Tirah would rather prefer to die instead of vacating their homes.

He told the authorities concerned that it was the final and unanimous decision of all the Tirah tribes and they would never deviate from their decision in any circumstances.

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“We want the chief minister, who is from Bara, and the other two parliamentarians to convey their message to the powers that be,” he said amid sloganeering by the participants, who had converged in large numbers.

Hazrat Khan warned that anyone from among the Tirah residents expressing his willingness to leave their houses would be considered as a collective enemy of the people of the valley and strict action in accordance with local traditions would be taken against them.

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The elder also took exception to the body search of local women and taking of photographs by male security personnel at Dwa Thoey checkpost and demanded of the security officials to immediately halt the practice as it was against the tribal customs and traditions.

The jirga was held at a time when there is strong impression among Tirah residents about the launch of a military operation against different terror groups.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2025