TIRAH VALLEY – Authorities in Khyber District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa registered over 5,000 families, totaling more than 23,000 men, women, and children, for emergency relocation from Tirah Valley.
The tense law-and-order situation in this strategic border region has forced residents to pack up their lives, as fears of imminent military action grip the area.
The relocation comes amid negotiation last month between Afridi tribal jirga and district authorities, granting conditional approval for an operation. The jirga demanded that the government take full responsibility for all relocated families, including food, transportation, and temporary shelter.
An administration official confirmed that a camp has been established in Peendi Cheena, where registration of around 5,000 families has been completed as of January 5. Government-managed vehicles are ferrying the families, and the state will also cover the transport costs.
Political oversight intensifies as PTI provincial assembly member Abdul Ghani Afridi visited the camp, sharply criticizing delays in food distribution and warning officials that contracts would be canceled if such lapses continue.
Tirah Valley is known for its cold winters and heavy snowfall, is sparsely populated during winter. Locals often migrate temporarily to Jamrud or Tehsil Bara, where many own homes. Journalists report that families without alternate homes are either staying in other locals’ residences or in the government camps.
Afridi jirga has given government two months to complete operation, ensuring dignified return of residents afterward. While no official large-scale operation has yet been announced, military officials have repeatedly confirmed that targeted operations against militants will take place across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Tirah, a valley covering roughly 100 square kilometers, partially extending into Orakzai District, is known tourist area but has become a hotspot for militant activity, especially after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities allege that militants cross the border, conduct attacks, and retreat back into Afghanistan.
Lashkar-i-Islam, led by Mangal Bagh, operated in Tirah until his death in 2021. From 2014 to 2017, a series of military operations—Khyber One, Two, Three, and Four, sought to eliminate extremist threats from the region.
With the looming operation, the largest relocation in recent memory is underway, highlighting the fragile security and the ongoing struggle between militants and the state in Pakistan’s volatile northwestern frontier.
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