Bara jirga demands security guarantees

SHELTER:

A jirga convened on Saturday by the Bara Siyasi Ittehad, an alliance of various political parties in Bara, on Saturday demanded the immediate implementation of its unanimously adopted declaration calling for the restoration of full peace in Tirah and a clear guarantee of sustainable peace in the future.

The Alliance discussed the Tirah crisis as tribal elders and community leaders condemned the ongoing situation in the valley.

The jirga was held in Bara at the request of tribal elders and representatives from Tirah, where participants discussed the worsening situation caused by administrative errors and agreed on a future course of action.

According to the statement, all forms of violence by the Khawarij, including shooting, shelling, mortar attacks on homes and shooting down of quadcopters, must stop immediately, as these actions spread fear among civilians.

The alliance also demanded that the dignified return of all displaced families be ensured and that every promise and agreement made with them be formally recognized and practically implemented.

The statement called for impartial investigations into political interference, nepotism, administrative errors and corruption in the registration of Tirah victims, and demanded action against those responsible.

It also sought full registration of all residents who own houses or property in Tirah, granting them IDP status and including them in the relief package.

The jirga warned that the law and order situation in Upper Bara and Bara plains had become alarming and needs to be checked on an emergency basis.

The alliance announced the launch of a peace movement in Bara from today to help restore security and create a safe environment for the public.

It also urged the provincial government to fulfill its constitutional duty by eliminating kidnapping for ransom, extortion threats and fear among citizens.

Reaffirming its commitment, the Bara Political Alliance said it would continue to stand with the displaced in Tirah on any platform and will continue in its struggle until their rights are fully secured.

Earlier, speakers at the jirga blasted the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government over “incompetence, mismanagement and corruption” in relief efforts.

They strongly condemned the provincial government for alleged political interference and corruption in the distribution of the Rs4 billion compensation package to affected families, calling the process flawed and unfair.

While hailing the security forces for their role in maintaining peace, the jirga participants accused the government of failing to deliver effective governance.

The agenda of the Jirga was presented by the Alliance Chairman Haji Shireen Afridi who also announced full solidarity, sympathy and support to all families displaced from Tirah.

The alliance demanded that the provincial government ensure complete care, protection and arrangements for all displaced persons.

Former chairman Haji Shireen Afridi said the alliance had held jirgas twice with Khawarij, after which responsibility was handed over to the provincial government and tribal elders in Tirah, but both efforts failed.

Other leaders of the Bara Political Alliance said the sufferings of Tirah’s displaced people were not confined to any single tribe or area but had become a collective national issue that could no longer be ignored.

ministers

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry termed the Khyber National Jirga an “indictment” against the KP government, alleging poor governance and calling on the provincial authorities to apologize for what he described as the construction of a false narrative.

Speaking to a private TV channel, Tarar said the jirga had not only demanded restoration of peace but had also leveled serious allegations against the KP government. He said the jirga had concluded that the provincial authorities were guilty of mismanagement and corruption and had failed to deliver for the people.

Speaking to a private TV channel, Talal Chaudhry said that the jirga’s findings “did not support” the version presented by the KP government. He said it had been established that decisions regarding Tirah were made by local residents after assessing the actual conditions on the ground and that they left the area according to an agreement reached between the people of Tirah and the provincial government.

“These people (the jirga) have explained in a very clear way all the things that the federal government was somehow trying to convey to the public,” he said.

Thousands are fleeing

Tens of thousands of people have fled a remote mountain area in recent weeks, residents said, after warnings from mosques urged families to evacuate ahead of a possible military crackdown on terrorists.

Residents of the Tirah Valley said they have moved out of the area to nearby towns despite heavy snowfall and cold winter temperatures due to the warnings to avoid the possible fighting.

“The announcements were made in the mosque that everyone should leave, so everyone left. We also left,” said Gul Afridi, a shopkeeper who fled with his family to the town of Bara, located 71 km (44 miles) east of the Tirah Valley.

Local officials in the region, who asked not to be identified, said thousands of families have fled and are being registered for help in nearby towns.

The government has not announced the evacuation or any planned military operation. On Tuesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif denied any operation was planned or underway in Tirah, calling the movement a routine seasonal migration driven by harsh winter conditions.

However, a military source familiar with the matter said the move followed months of consultations involving tribal elders, district officials and security officials about the presence of terrorists in Tirah, who they said were operating among the civilian population and pressuring residents.

The source asked to remain unidentified as they are not authorized to speak to the media. The source said civilians were being urged to leave temporarily to reduce the risk of harm as “targeted intelligence-based operations” continued, adding that there had been no build-up to a large-scale offensive due to the area’s mountainous terrain and winter conditions.

Inter-Services Public Relations, the Ministry of Interior and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Not the cold

Residents rejected suggestions that winter alone was driving the movement. “No one left because of the cold,” said Abdur Rahim, who said he left his village for Bara earlier this month after hearing evacuation notices. “It’s been snowing for years. We’ve lived there our whole lives. People left because of the announcements.”

Gul Afridi described a perilous journey through snow-bound roads along with food shortages that made the evacuation an ordeal that took his family nearly a week. “Here I have no home, no business support. I don’t know what is destined for us,” he said at a government school in Bara, where hundreds of displaced people lined up to register for aid, complaining of slow processes and uncertainty about how long they would remain displaced.

Abdul Azeem, another displaced resident, said families were stranded for days and children died along the way. “There were many difficulties. People were stuck because of the snow,” he said.

With additional input from Reuters