Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi addresses a jirga in Peshawar on Monday. SCREEN GRAB
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday vowed that the provincial government would not abandon families displaced from Tirah due to military operations, saying tribesmen had made huge sacrifices for the country.
Addressing a jirga of elders and notables from Khyber district in Peshawar, Afridi said there was an organized mindset that did not want Pashtuns, especially tribal communities, to become part of the national mainstream. “The mindset that has been formed against us for 75 years does not recognize our existence,” he said.
The chief minister said that soon after his election, what he described as misleading and negative propaganda was launched against him. Afridi called such actions deplorable against an elected chief minister and said public support had helped him defeat “any negative narrative”.
“I have promised my people to give them the pen instead of the gun,” he said. “We will stand in the front line for the defense of the country and will not hesitate to make any sacrifice. When my nation is in a difficult time, I stand with them like a rock.”
Afridi credited jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan for creating political awareness among the people and said he had helped the public distinguish between truth and hypocrisy. He added that the entire nation was united to support the displaced from Tirah.
Read: Tirah operation driven by politics: Afridi
The chief minister said there was consensus among political parties and schools in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that military operations were not a solution. “We want the abolition of terrorism. We are peace-loving people and want the restoration of peace,” he said. “After 22 major and 14,000 minor operations, what guarantee is there now that peace can be established?”
Afridi said decisions taken behind closed doors and imposed on Tirah would not yield results. “Decisions are taken without taking the provincial government into confidence. Had we been consulted, the nation would have been taken into confidence and the work would have been done through consensus,” he said, claiming that the operation was launched through force, coercion and hooliganism.
During the jirga, the elders discussed the law and order situation in Khyber district and the difficulties faced by displaced families. They presented proposals to restore peace and ensure dignified resettlement of Tirah affected. The Chief Minister directed officials to provide all possible facilities to the displaced families.
Read more: Thousands have been displaced as the Tirah crisis deepens
On Saturday, Afridi had criticized the Tirah operation in a message on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that the military action and forced displacement were the result of “closed-door decisions” aimed at serving political interests rather than eliminating terrorism.
“Tirah is my home. Its people are my own,” he said, adding that the current actions were a failed attempt to distance the local population from him because of his firm stance on the issue.
