• Evacuation agreed upon after exhaustive jirgas that also included local admin and security officials became an issue only after people’s plight highlighted
• Federal info ministry insists govt, army did not ask anyone to leave their homes
• CM’s aide claims KP govt not taken on board
• January 25 ‘deadline’ passes by as evacuation drive on hold due to harsh weather

PESHAWAR: After hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of planned military action against terrorists who have overrun the tribal district, the federal and provincial governments on Sunday traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process.

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 only after the displaced populace found themselves stranded in inclement weather under open skies, with mismanagement by the authorities only adding to their troubles.

The decision to move the civilian population out of Tirah was reached last month, after several meetings between the local jirga and security and administration officials. During these negotiations, which lasted weeks, it was decided that the valley would be evacuated for a final operation to rid the area of outlaws who had been interfering with the social fabric.

According to the agreement, the evacuation was to be completed by Jan 25, and residents could expect to start returning to their homes by April 2026. However, the deadline lapsed on Sunday, days after the authorities halted the evacuation process due to cold weather and snow storms.

At the same time, both the provincial and federal governments have seemingly distanced themselves from the displacement drive, blaming each other instead.

As the KP government disowned the proposed operation, the federal information ministry led by Atta­ullah Tarar — in a lengthy statement issued on Sunday — claimed that the assertions were aimed at spreading “disinformation aga­inst security institutions and (to) further vested political interests”.

It claimed that the federal government and the armed forces did not ask anyone to leave their homes for the operation, adding that intelligence-based operations being conducted by the forces did not require “de-population or migration”.

The ministry stated that according to the Khyber deputy commissioner “the voluntary movement reflects the views and preferences of the local population, articulated through a representative jirga convened at the district level, taking into account seasonal, logistical and contextual considerations, as well as a non-camp-based modality”.

The information ministry also mentioned a Dec 26 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.

“Hence any stated position… that the said migration has anything to do with the armed forces is false, and fabricated, given with mala fide intent to gain political capital and unfortunately, malign security institutions and therefore highly regrettable,” the statement concluded.

KP contests claim

KP Chief Minister’s information aide Shafi Jan, however, contested the federal claim, saying it was an attempt by the Centre to shift the entire blame for the displacement of people from Tirah Valley and the “ongoing operation” onto the provincial government.

He claimed the people were forced to migrate due to the proposed operation. “The speeches of federal ministers Khawaja Asif and Talal Chaudhry in the National Assembly regarding the operation are on record,” the statement quoted the special assistant as saying.

Mr Jan said that the federal government should have taken the province, all political parties, and other stakeholders into confidence, but, claimed that it was unfortunately imposing its decisions on Peshawar, while the affected people had been left to their own devices in difficult times.

The CM’s aide said the provincial government released funds to provide timely relief to the affected people, while the federal government’s “insensitivity on this issue was highly deplorable”.

Interestingly, the KP CM had ordered five registration camps for those displaced, as per a video posted on the Deputy Commissioner’s Facebook page on Jan 21.

In the video, the official said that five camps, four at Bara and one at Painda Cheena, were being set up for the registration of the respective clans of the Afridi tribe on the CM’s orders.

It may be noted that the KP CM, who also hails from Khyber, has been vehemently opposing the military operation in the district, at least in his public remarks.

Earlier this month, in an X post, Mr Afridi said that decisions regarding the military operation in Tirah were being taken behind closed doors.

A government official also told Dawn that the matter was neither discussed by the provincial cabinet nor was the provincial government in the loop about the evacuation date.

The official said the agreement signed by the jirga members and the administration also included the input of the security forces, who were a stakeholder in this process. The signed copy of the agreement, however, had not been made public.

Halt in evacuation drive

As harsh weather took a toll on the displaced populace, the Khyber district administration on Thursday posted two messages, asking the residents to stop evacuating their homes due to inclement weather.

“The residents of Tirah are advised not to travel on Thursday, January 22, and Friday, January 23, due to inclement weather. The displacement would commence as soon as weather conditions improve,” the update read.

Besides, Khyber Additional DC (relief) Irshad Ali also uploaded a video message on the same page, asking the locals to stop evacuations till the weather improved. Two children had lost their lives due to a road accident on Wednesday, while there were reports of more accidents in Bar Qambarkhel, he added.

These directives came after a rescue operation was conducted to evacuate at least 1,500 people stranded in a snowstorm. The operation lasted two days, according to a Rescue 1122 statement on Thursday.

According to sources, several terrorist outfits, including Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), had set up camp in Tirah, making the valley vulnerable to militancy. They claimed that IS-K had a hideout in the area and, according to intelligence reports, an Azerbaijani suicide attacker tasked with attacking Maulana Fazlur Rehman at a gathering in Peshawar last year had been living in the valley.

Besides, it was claimed that the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group had developed a nexus with the Lashkar-i-Islam militant outfit in Khyber, and was eager to set up bases in the area. Similarly, Jamaatul Ahraar and other smaller groups were also active in the area.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2026