- Center denies ordering evacuation from Tirah Valley.
- The KP government called for clarification on the stance on militants.
- KP govt did not evacuate residents of Tirah: CM Afridi.
PESHAWAR: After hundreds of Tirah residents left their homes due to heavy snowfall and a planned operation against terrorists in the tribal district, the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments acted on barbs as Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said people were “forced” to leave their homes.
Talking further Pakinomist news program “Naya Pakistan”, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal questioned why residents were displaced from Tirah and said the provincial government must explain the circumstances.
He categorically said that the Federal Government had not issued any directive or appeal for evacuation from the area.
Referring to the statement issued late Saturday night, Iqbal stressed that the Ministry of Information had already dismissed reports suggesting a large-scale military operation in Tirah, adding that linking the displacement to the armed forces was deliberate misinformation.
He said that law and order fell squarely under the jurisdiction of the provincial government and criticized the KP administration for failing in its responsibility.
“The KP government must decide whether it stands with terrorists or with the people of Pakistan,” Iqbal said, adding that the PTI-led provincial government was running continuous campaigns against state institutions and appeared sympathetic to extremist elements.
Echoing those remarks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the federal government had taken serious note of what he described as false propaganda surrounding Tirah. He reiterated that linking the evacuation to the military was misleading and factually incorrect.
The response comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Tirah, where families fleeing the Maidan area have been stranded on snow-covered roads due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures.
Evacuation from the area began on 9 January ahead of a planned operation expected to be completed within two months, with rehabilitation and return scheduled to start from 5 April.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Miraban-Tirah Valley Road was blocked following heavy snowfall, while several routes across KP – including Kaghan-Naran, Battal and Lowari Tunnel – were also closed, leaving locals and tourists stranded.
Snow accumulation has further affected roads in Buner, Swat, Chitral, Lower Dir and Kolai-Palas, with clearing work underway using heavy machinery.
Rescue 1122 officials said emergency operations were underway in Tirah involving 103 people deployed from Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts. So far, more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 stranded people have been rescued and the scope of the operation continues to expand.
‘forced to leave’
Meanwhile, KP CM Afridi said the residents of Tirah Valley were “forced to leave” and stressed that the provincial government did not evacuate them.
Addressing party workers in Chakdara, Afridi said the people of Tirah were facing dire hardship and warned that if the ongoing operation was not stopped in the next two to three days, the provincial government would formulate its own strategy.
The chief minister clarified that his party was neither hostile to the armed forces nor state institutions, but opposed those who, he said, meddle in politics.
Separately, KP government spokesman Shafi Jan dismissed the federal government’s claim of releasing Rs 4 billion to families displaced from Tirah as “very ridiculous”.
He said the provincial government had released funds on time to provide relief to the displaced families, adding that the residents of Tirah were forced to leave their homes due to an operation.
Jan further accused the federal government of making a failed attempt to shift responsibility for the operation to the KP government.
